A Different Kind of Life
by Lissaone
Summary: AU, ML Max and Liz are a normal teenage couple till an unexpected incident enters their lives.
1. Default Chapter

[b]Title: A Different Kind of Life[/b] Rating: PG-13 Couple: M/L Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell we'd still have a show to watch. Summary: Response to [b]Ripley Rip Tide's[/b] challenge.  
  
Max strode confidently down the halls of West Roswell high. He looked for his target and zoomed in on it. He hadn't seen her all day and was anxious to.  
  
As if sensing eyes on her she turned around. His anxiousness turned to concern when he saw her face. There was something wrong and he knew it.  
  
"Liz?" He asked drawing her away from Isabel, her best friend.  
  
"Can we go somewhere and talk, Max?" She asked quietly.  
  
"Sure." The earlier confidence was drained from him. His instincts warned him that something was terribly wrong. "Where do you wanna go?" He asked taking her hand.  
  
She gripped it tight and looked up into his eyes. "The desert, I guess somewhere where we can talk alone?"  
  
"Alright. Come on." He led her to his jeep. He made sure she was seated and stood there looking at her their hands folded together in his lap.  
  
"Is everything ok?" He asked softly, pushing the hair out of her eyes.  
  
She started to shake her head yes then changed it to a no tears starting to run down her cheeks. "Can we go?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah." He ran around the jeep drove out to the bare desert.  
  
Once there he helped her climb down and led her to a quiet spot under a tree where they had spent most of their time together during the summer.  
  
He spread a blanket down on the ground and wrapped his arms around her. "What's wrong?" She snuggled into his arms and remained quiet.  
  
"Liz?" She asked.  
  
"Shh, Max." She silenced him.  
  
Max recognized that she wanted silence and waited even though he was beside himself with worry.  
  
"Max, do you love me?" She asked hesitantly.  
  
Caught off guard Max had to think about that one for a second. "I care about you, over time it's come closer to love." He stated carefully, knowing they were both touchy about the subject.  
  
"That's what I feel about you." She clarified.  
  
"Ok, Liz what are you getting at?" Max asked.  
  
"Max, I'm getting to it." She said and took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."  
  
"Come again?" He said shocked.  
  
"I'm pregnant." She said turning to look at him.  
  
He stood up quietly and paced. "Max?" She asked curling up into a tiny ball on the blanket.  
  
"I don't know what to say." He stopped and looked down at her.  
  
"Are you angry?" She asked.  
  
He paused again. "I don't know."  
  
He sat back down and she scooted away from him. "Don't move away from me, Liz." He said in a strangled whisper.  
  
She gladly scooted closer. "Tell me what you feel, Max?" She asked hesitantly.  
  
"I feel shocked, afraid, happy, and I am angry, but not at you, at myself." He took her in his arms.  
  
"You're happy about this?" Liz asked shocked.  
  
"Yeah, it's kind of exciting knowing we created a child. I could never be upset over it."  
  
"That's how I feel." She said with a smile on her face. "What are we going to do?" She asked turning serious.  
  
"Is marriage an option?" He asked uncertainly.  
  
"It can be." She said, "there's also adoption."  
  
"I don't like that option." He shook his head.  
  
"I don't either, there's one more, but we're not considering it." She said looking him straight in the eye.  
  
"No, we're not." He looked her right in they eye to show he supported her.  
  
"Alright, adoption." She said her hand and eyes drifting down to her tummy.  
  
"I don't like that one either." Max told her.  
  
Liz was quietly shook her head.  
  
"Marriage then?" He sighed.  
  
"It won't be so horrible, will it?" She pulled out of his arms and faced him.  
  
"I don't think so." He shook his head.  
  
"We have to tell our parents." Liz looked at her hands.  
  
"I know. We'll just sit here for a while, just us two, well, three?" He asked pulling her back into her arms.  
  
"I like that idea." She nodded and rested against him once more. 


	2. Revealing

[b]Title: A Different Kind of Life[/b] Rating: PG-13 Couple: M/L Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell we'd still have a show to watch. Summary: Response to [b]Ripley Rip Tide's[/b] challenge  
  
Part 2  
  
"Nancy, it's good to see you." Diane Evans entered the foyer of the Parker residence.  
  
"You two, Max and Isabel come on in." Nancy shuffled the three inside.  
  
"It's a pity the men had a meeting in Albuquerque." Diane commented her husband's absence.  
  
"I know, Jeff said he'll try to fly home before this little get together is over." Nancy laughed. Both parents actually worked in Albuquerque but being the model parents, set up home a few hours away in Roswell, where the kids could grow up in a nice quaint little town.  
  
"Max." Liz said relieved as they walked into the parlor.  
  
"Hey, Liz." He pulled her to his side once she was in arms reach.  
  
Diane and Nancy watched the two together happily.  
  
Noticing, they pulled slightly away from each other.  
  
"Let's eat, shall we?" Nancy ushered them into the dining room.  
  
Liz sat next to Max. She looked at the food and then looked like she was ready to pass out.  
  
"Are you ok?" Max whispered in her ear.  
  
She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder for a minute. Then she leaned up to whisper in his ear. "I don't think I'm going to eat very much tonight. I can't stomach it." She said nervously.  
  
"Are you feeling alright, Elizabeth dear?" Diane asked worriedly.  
  
"Yes, Mrs. Evans." Liz sat up. "I've, not been feeling well the past few days."  
  
Max rubbed her hand under the table until she flipped her hand over and linked her fingers through his.  
  
"You wanna go lie down?" He asked her quietly.  
  
"No." She shook her head.  
  
"Alright." Max said and went back to eating his dinner.  
  
Halfway though the dinner Jeff Parker and Phillip Evans arrived. Liz tensed at having to tell both parents at one time but later felt it was smarter than one set at a time.  
  
****  
  
The party retired to the parlor once more. Liz sat close to Max. If she had been any closer she would have been on his lap.  
  
He massaged her lower back, relaxing her for a time he knew was not going to be relaxing.  
  
Liz was looking paler by the minute.  
  
"Elizabeth, sweetie, why don't you go upstairs and lay down?" Her mother said almost concerned.  
  
"No." She shook her head and laid her head on Max's shoulder.  
  
"Are you sure?" She asked.  
  
"Yes. Max, can I speak with you for a moment?" She said standing up. Max was up on his feet in a second.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What is it?" He asked once they were out of earshot of the parlor.  
  
"We have to tell them fast." Liz said urgently. "I can't wait much longer, Max. It's making me nervous and I don't think that's good for the baby." She pushed her face into his chest.  
  
"Alright." He stroked her hair. "Let's go back and tell them." He said and turned around and stopped when he saw Isabel.  
  
"Tell them what?" Isabel folded her arms.  
  
"Nothing, Isabel." He said annoyed.  
  
"What, I'm not letting you go back in there without you telling me first." She planted herself firmly in front of them.  
  
"I'm pregnant." Liz said just to get it over with. She buried herself in Max's chest.  
  
"That's what I thought." Isabel shrugged. "You could have told me before."  
  
"You knew?" Max said pulling Liz closer. If Isabel knew, how much did the parents know?  
  
"Yes." She smiled. "Hey, I'm behind you all they guys." She hugged them both. "What are you going to do?" She asked casually.  
  
"Get married." Max told her.  
  
"Ok, when?" Isabel was going to be a total help.  
  
"Isabel aren't you a little too excited?" He asked.  
  
"Well, I'm going to be an aunt I am entitled to a little happiness aren't they."  
  
"Let's tell the parents first? Then we'll see." Max was relieved that they had at least one ally.  
  
Satisfied, they both turned to reenter the parlor.  
  
****  
  
The room was silent. Liz shifted closer to Max. The parents were stunned.  
  
"Come again?" Jeff Parker broke the silence.  
  
"I'm pregnant, Dad." She said with a little more confidence.  
  
Silence. Dead Silence.  
  
"Say something, Somebody?" She asked.  
  
"What do you expect us to say? You go off, you date this guy for what six months, and now you're pregnant. What are the people at the country club going to think."  
  
"Mother does the country club really matter?" Liz asked stunned.  
  
"Elizabeth, you really have no idea what this means." Her father stood up and paced. He shot an angry glare at Max.  
  
"What do you two plan to do?" Diane spoke finally.  
  
"Get married." Max answered his mother.  
  
"No." All four couples said at the same time.  
  
"Why not?" Isabel said, speaking at last. "You four have wanted them married for years once you found out they were the right age." All parents turned their glare on her.  
  
"Yes, we know, we're not stupid. So what if it's a little early?" Isabel shrugged.  
  
"No, absolutely not." Nancy Parker spoke up. "You, will not have this baby, Elizabeth."  
  
"What do you mean by that?" She asked as her hand flew down to cover her tummy.  
  
"You will not have this baby, end of discussion." Nancy said firmly.  
  
"Mother, if you're saying that-" Nancy cut her off.  
  
"You know what I'm saying. I'll make an appointment with the doctor." She said easily as if it were a flu shot.  
  
"No." Both Liz and Max answered.  
  
Diane could tell her son was becoming angry with the discussion and she was not about to allow her grandchild to be terminated. "Well, there are other options for you two."  
  
"Like what, Diane?" Nancy and Jeff asked.  
  
"There's always adoption." She said calmly.  
  
"No, do you know what this baby will do to Elizabeth's reputation. What it will do to Parker Inc. To Evans Firm?" Jeffrey Parker said getting angrier. "The whole country will think that my daughter's loose, or easy."  
  
"Well maybe she is." Phillip Evans stated.  
  
Jeff Parker stood up.  
  
"And maybe she isn't." Phillip continued evenly. "No one but us will know. We can arrange a private adoption, no one will ever have to know." He said easily. "You never know what the possibilities are when a lawyer's child get pregnant."  
  
"No." Liz said quietly. "I'm keeping this baby."  
  
"We're keeping it." Max put his arm around her in support.  
  
"Elizabeth, you can't. How are you supposed to go to college? How are you supposed to go on with your life?" Nancy Parker begged.  
  
"No, I'm n-not giving u-up my b-baby, I c-can't." She said trying to hold in the sobs.  
  
"You can and you will, Elizabeth." Nancy left the room too angry to speak anymore.  
  
"Your mother's right." Jeff said. "It's going either way, Elizabeth, you pick." He too left the room.  
  
Liz turned to Max who lifted her into her lap where she could successfully curl into him.  
  
"I'm sorry." He whispered.  
  
"Don't be." She said quietly, waiting for the wrath of the Evans.  
  
"I think that it's your choice, kids, well, Max and Liz. Whichever you want to do. We're support you with adoption, but not marriage. You are too young. Give the baby up, there will be others." Diane said quietly.  
  
"Others!" Max broke out. "Others, won't matter compared to this one. Each one is an individual. You of all people should know that, Mother."  
  
"Don't speak to your mother that way." Phillip stood up and pulled Diane up with him. "Elizabeth, I'm sure you don't want to stay here tonight, you're welcome at our house." He said before leaving. Diane following quickly.  
  
That's how their parents always left, no goodbyes, nothing.  
  
"Come on, Liz. Come to our house." Isabel said. "You don't even have to change, you can borrow some of my pajamas for the night."  
  
"Alright." She held on as Max stood up and cuddled her close in his arms.  
  
"I love you, Max." She whispered against his neck. It was something she needed to say along time ago, but never found the courage. She felt it was the right time now.  
  
Max just swallowed and acted as if he hadn't heard the comment.  
  
[b]TBC  
  
Hope that makes up for the shorter part![/b] 


	3. Morning Sickness

[b]Title: A Different Kind of Life[/b] Rating: PG-13 Couple: M/L Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell we'd still have a show to watch. Summary: Response to [b]Ripley Rip Tide's[/b] challenge  
  
Liz woke up it was still dark outside but it was 5:30.  
  
She rolled over into Max's embrace before she realized the morning sickness was going to hit.  
  
She jumped out of the bed and to the connecting bathroom in the next minute.  
  
Max was less than two seconds behind her.  
  
"You ok?" He asked leaning against the door of the bathroom.  
  
"Go away." She told him.  
  
"Why?" He asked pushing off and making his way toward her.  
  
"Please, Max. I want to be alone." Her face turned pale again and she leaned into the toilet, only dry heaves.  
  
"I'll be back." He turned and left the room.  
  
Relieved Liz let the tears run. She hated being this way. When she was a little girl she rarely was sick and now it came every morning. She was terrified of it. Her nanny had always been there to help her.  
  
"Elizabeth, calm down." She felt a cold cloth on her forehead.  
  
Diane Evans' voice was calming. "Lean against me, Sweetheart." She directed.  
  
Giving in, Liz rested against her. "It's never been this bad before." She said.  
  
"You had a hard evening. Just take long, calming breathes."  
  
Liz did as she was told. "I'm sorry."  
  
"No, Elizabeth."  
  
Max stood uneasily in the doorway.  
  
"Are you ready to go back to bed?" Diane asked.  
  
"Can I wash up first?"  
  
"Of course." Diane handed her a washcloth where she sponged off and pulled her hair in a bun to keep it off her face.  
  
"There, you go. Call if you need anything else." Diane handed Liz off to Max.  
  
"Thank you, Mom." Max said before attending to Liz.  
  
"Are you ok?" Concern etched on his face.  
  
She started to nod her head yes then quickly turned to a no. "I'm going to be sick."  
  
She went back into the bathroom shutting the door in his face.  
  
"Leave her be, Max. She wants to be alone." Isabel said.  
  
"Why?" He asked.  
  
"Because she does. If she wanted you in there, the door would be open." Isabel explained. "She'll come out when she's done."  
  
She sat in the recliner in Max's room. "I'll wait here with you."  
  
"Thank you." He said gratefully. "For everything, Isabel."  
  
"You're welcome." She curled up and went back to sleep.  
  
Max paced in front of the door.  
  
"Max." The call was faint within the bathroom.  
  
He opened the door. "Help me, Max." She said quietly not looking at him.  
  
"Liz, you're hot." He felt her forehead.  
  
"I'm freezing." She curled up in a ball. "This is more than morning sickness, Max."  
  
"Come here." He lifted her in his arms.  
  
"Isabel, go get mom." He carried her.  
  
"Liz, what's wrong?" Isabel woke quickly.  
  
"She's sick, go get mom."  
  
Diane came quickly back into the room.  
  
"Max, we'll take her to the Urgent Care Center. Come on."  
  
"I don't have anything to wear." Liz fought.  
  
"It doesn't matter. Come on, Max, carry her."  
  
Max obliged.  
  
****  
  
"What can I do for you this fine morning, Ma'am?" The receptionist asked.  
  
"We need to see a doctor. My son's girlfriend is sick."  
  
The receptionist looked up. "Oh, Mrs. Evans." She said surprised. "What's wrong with Elizabeth?"  
  
Diane cursed silently. The Parkers and the Evans were known by everyone in town, the pregnancy would be public knowledge within days.  
  
"Just let me see the doctor." She said shortly.  
  
"Alright, it'll be a fifteen minute wait." She handed her a clipboard. "You have to fill this out."  
  
She snorted and went and sat next to Max and Liz. "Elizabeth, you have to fill this out, then we'll call your parents."  
  
"No." She tucked herself into the safety of Max's side as she took the clipboard.  
  
"I'll do it." Max said gently removing it from her hands.  
  
Ten minutes later, they were called into the room. The MA's eyes grew huge when she looked at Liz's papers.  
  
"Here you go, Mrs. Evans, Elizabeth." She said looking astonished.  
  
"If you know what's good for you, young lady," Mrs. Evans threatened. "You'll keep your mouth shut."  
  
"Yes, Mrs. Evans." She nodded.  
  
"Hello, Elizabeth." The doctor walked in.  
  
"Dr. Yule." She nodded. She was pale and weak, and she wanted Max but he had declined to come into the examination room with her.  
  
"Elizabeth, what have you been feeling?" He asked softly.  
  
"Like I have the flu." She said simply she lay back on the examination table and closed her eyes. "I'm tired, and cold, and I ache everywhere, and I'm pregnant."  
  
"I know. Have you been putting a lot of stress on yourself, lately?" He asked while taking her temperature.  
  
Diane answered for her. "Her and Max told us about the baby yesterday."  
  
"Was there yelling?" He asked.  
  
"Yes, and tension." Diane said.  
  
"That would do it. She's not to be stressed, Mrs. Evans, you should know that. She's young, and she's a petite girl. She's also early in pregnancy. Elizabeth, open your eyes." He slipped the thermometer out of her mouth.  
  
She groaned and turned over.  
  
"Oh, my." He said looking at the thermometer. 101.1." He said aloud.  
  
"What?" Diane jumped out of her chair.  
  
"I suggest taking her to the ER." The doctor said.  
  
"Elizabeth, can you stand up?" Diane asked.  
  
She moaned and rolled over.  
  
"Max!" She called out the door. Max came around the corner.  
  
"What?" He said worriedly.  
  
"Carry her to the car. We have to go to the ER, Isabel, call Mr. and Mrs. Parker."  
  
Liz felt safe and content in his arms. She realized some of the pain went away.  
  
"Max, please help me?" She asked. She felt as if he were the only one that could. He was getting distant. "Talk to me, Max. Stay with me? Don't leave." She said almost frantically. It was getting darker, fuzzier.  
  
He stretched a smile down at her. "We're taking you to the hospital now, Liz, you and the baby are going to be ok."  
  
"Hurry." She said before she slid under the cover of darkness. 


	4. Hospitals

Liz fought to pull herself from the darkness. She heard the voices around her but couldn't quite place them.  
  
"Liz, wake up." Someone was calling her.  
  
She tried to move her head but it was so heavy. "Max?" She said the first name that entered her mind.  
  
"I'm here." He said quickly.  
  
"Good." She went back under.  
  
Max cursed silently noticing her loss of consciousness.  
  
"Max, will you leave her be for a while?" The doctor asked.  
  
"No." He sat down in a chair. "Will she and the baby be ok?" He asked again.  
  
"We don't know, Max. She probably will be, it's up in the air about the baby." The doctor told him honestly.  
  
Max nodded and looked back at Liz.  
  
"Max, the bleeding has to stop on it's own we've done everything we can now." The doctor said and left the room.  
  
Max dropped his head into his hands.  
  
Liz woke up a few minutes later and Max was shooed out of the room into the waiting room.  
  
Their eyes all turned to him.  
  
He tried to smile but it faltered.  
  
"Max, we've been thinking." Diane said. "Why don't you sit." She directed him to a chair.  
  
He looked skeptically up at his mother.  
  
"Max, it would be best for everyone, all around if this baby were to be put up for adoption." Phillip filled in.  
  
"Dad! How could you be thinking of this right now?" Max asked appalled. "We don't even know if there's going to be a baby. She's in there right now, being examined. I may not have a baby anymore." He said angrily. He stood up and began to pace.  
  
"Max, calm down, Sweetheart."  
  
"Calm down, Mom?" He looked at her. "I'll be back."  
  
He left the hospital room he needed to get out, to think.  
  
****  
  
Max walked through the gardens quietly. He was thinking.  
  
"Max." He turned towards his mother's voice.  
  
"Hi, Mom." He said. "Sorry about earlier." He immediately apologized as he had always been taught.  
  
"No, it's alright." She said. "Why don't we sit and talk?" She nodded toward a bench.  
  
He sat and looked at her waiting for whatever was coming next.  
  
"Max, I know you're young and this is an odd question for a teenage boy your age but, do you love her?"  
  
"Not like she loves me." He said after a pause.  
  
"So you don't love her."  
  
"As a friend." He said.  
  
She sighed. "Max what have you gotten yourself into?" She looked at her son. "If you marry her, like you say you will, Max, it would be the end of both of you. Marriage is a huge step, given, so is having a child. But Max, you can't do the things you will want to do in college. Your life isn't yours once you have a child. And, Max, a loveless marriage is hell." She told him. "It's a struggle to keep it together when you love your spouse, but when there's no love, there's no chance of it surviving." She rested her hand on his arm.  
  
"What are you getting at."  
  
"Max, look at it this way. Say you and Elizabeth get married, you go to college, but you don't make it. As I said before, your life is not yours. Everything will have to go towards that child's welfare." She looked at him seriously. "I'm not saying it's guarantee, but it's a huge possibility, Max. Think about it for me." She said.  
  
"But I thought you wanted the families joined." Max spat.  
  
"I do, Max, we all do, but not so young, never so young." She shook her head. "We thought after college." She explained.  
  
"I wanna be alone now, Mom." He stood and left her sitting there on the bench.  
  
****  
  
Liz was even more tired now she had just had another round with her mother.  
  
She glanced up when Max entered the room. She saw it in his eyes, she'd lost the baby wasn't hers anymore.  
  
"Max." She barely could say his name before the tears poured.  
  
"Liz, we have to, we can't keep this baby. It wouldn't be good for us, any of us." He told her holding back his own tears. "There's no way, we have college."  
  
"I won't go to college." She demanded.  
  
"You're going, Liz, we're young, we're not ready for this type of responsibility. This way the baby will go to a Mommy and Daddy who have been waiting years for this to happen."  
  
Tears streamed down her face, leaving streaks and each one was burning the same streaked pattern on his heart. He sat on the bed and pulled her head onto his lap.  
  
"Our baby will be loved very much." He said. "We'll make sure of it. Some adoption homes even allow some kind of contact between birthparents. We can find one." He said.  
  
She didn't say anything. Her hand slid down to her baby. How could they be thinking about this.  
  
"The doctor said the baby is ok." She choked out.  
  
"It will be a beautiful baby, Liz, like you." He whispered.  
  
She let out a sob.  
  
She had a choice. She had to choose between the two people she loved most. Her boyfriend or her baby.  
  
The choice was quick and with very little hesitation.  
  
"Get out, Max." She said and moved her head off his lap.  
  
"Liz."  
  
"I said get out!" She screamed.  
  
Looking lost, he stood up from the bed and left the room.  
  
He heard her sobs through the door.  
  
****  
  
Isabel walked cautiously into the hospital room. "Liz?"  
  
"Izzy." She turned towards her. "What am I going to do?" She asked.  
  
"I don't know." Isabel said honestly ready to come to her best friends defense.  
  
"I want this baby. She's not going anywhere."  
  
"She?" Isabel smiled.  
  
"It's too early to tell gender but I have a feeling I have a baby girl in here." She smiled briefly then it faded.  
  
"Are you done talking to Max? He's out there distressed right now." Isabel stroked her hair.  
  
"I know." Liz turned toward the wall. "I'll speak to him when you leave."  
  
"Liz, whatever decision you make, not Max, you, I'll stick by you. I just wanted you to know that." She whispered.  
  
"Thanks, Isabel, that means everything to me." She let out a smile. "I think I'll talk to him now." Liz said taking a breath.  
  
"Alright." Isabel stood and went to retrieve her brother.  
  
****  
  
"Hey." He said quietly. "I'm sorry-" He started.  
  
"No, Max, you're right." She said slowly barely able to get the words out. "We can't take care of this baby. We can't married. We'll give her up for adoption." She shrugged.  
  
"Just like that?" He asked walking slowly towards her.  
  
"You did it." She accused.  
  
Max winced at the full truth of that statement.  
  
"Alright. I think we can do this." Max sat slowly on her bed once again. She automatically moved her head to his lap and he stroked her hair.  
  
She let the tears run freely now.  
  
In one month she would turn eighteen, in two, she's be a high school graduate. In three, she would be gone. 


	5. Running Away

[b]Hey Guys! Thanks so much fb it's so inspiring. I'm falling in love with this story. I woke up this morning with a thousand new ideas in my head but I have to pick and choose which ones I'm going to use. It's not easy! Thanks again.  
Lissa[/b]  
  
"Max! Max, wake up." His mother was in his room shaking him awake.  
  
"What?" He rolled over.  
  
"Elizabeth is gone, have you seen her?" She asked worriedly.  
  
"No, I took her home last night." He was alert now.  
  
"She's not there, her car's gone, and it looks like her most important things are gone."  
  
"How would you know this?" He pulled a shirt on and headed downstairs.  
  
"Mrs. Parker just called. Her maid woke her up with the same news."  
  
"Have you tried her cell?" He asked. He was trying not to panic.  
  
"Yes, she's not picking up."  
  
Max sighed. She had seemed distant and worried the night before. She had spent all day with Isabel.  
  
"Where's Isabel?" He asked.  
  
"In her room, trying to call her."  
  
Max stalked past his mother and into Isabel's room.  
  
"Where is she?" He demanded.  
  
Isabel looked at him with a blank stare. "She's gone." She stood up and sat her cell phone down.  
  
"What do you mean gone?"  
  
"She left, Max. She's not coming back."  
  
"What!" He shouted. "Isabel give me your cell."  
  
"No, Max. You obviously don't care. Liz wanted to keep the baby." She said angrily. "You wanted to put it up for adoption, so she left."  
  
"She can't just leave." Max dropped to the bed.  
  
"She can and she did. She's eighteen, Max, she has every right." Isabel said sympathetically.  
  
"But the baby."  
  
"Will be taken care of. Liz would give her life for that baby. I guarantee, she'll be fine. She promised to call if there's any trouble." Isabel stroked his back.  
  
"You knew?"  
  
"She told me yesterday. I was shocked, but then I supported her. That's her baby; you can't make her give it up. It's a scary world out there not knowing where your baby's going." Isabel reasoned.  
  
"It's my baby too." He said.  
  
"Yes, it was your baby. Now, do you want to adopt it out, or would you want to his or her mother raise it?"  
  
"I see your point." Secretly Max was relieved and proud of Liz. She had the courage to do what he had wanted to do. Liz would raise his son or daughter, and he knew Isabel was right, she would give her life for their baby. Now Max was upset he hadn't had the courage to do it.  
  
"Are you going to press kidnapping charges, Max?" Diane Evans asked.  
  
"No." He said simply and stood up to return to his room to be alone.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because she had no choice, she's protecting our child. I won't, and because I won't you can't either." He shrugged and left the room.  
  
Isabel smiled at her brother after he left.  
  
"Why are you smiling, Isabel?" Diane asked.  
  
"He did the right thing, now would you please leave me alone?"  
  
****  
  
"So you do interviews in the morning?" Liz asked frustrated.  
  
"Yes, from ten to one."  
  
"Thank you." She handed him the filled out application and left.  
  
That was the fourth one today.  
  
"Now, to find a clinic." She said to herself.  
  
She found one quickly enough and hurried inside.  
  
"Hi, I'm Liz Parker, and I was wondering if I could make an appointment?" She said timidly.  
  
"For when, Sweetie?" The receptionist was an older lady and had surprisingly nice eyes.  
  
"Whenever, sooner would be better." She said. "Pre-natal care." She said.  
  
The woman's eyes flickered down to her stomach. She hadn't grown very big yet. "How far along?"  
  
"Four months." Her hand went down to her stomach protectively.  
  
"Just fill this out and we'll get back to you."  
  
Liz filled out the form. She was getting tired of filling out forms.  
  
"Our pre-natal staff is here on Wednesdays, next Wednesday we have an opening for nine in the morning." The woman looked at her screen.  
  
"That would be wonderful." Liz said handing back the form. "Thank you."  
  
She left the building. It was five o'clock, she'd been on her feet all day. She hadn't even looked at her apartment yet.  
  
It had been four days since she left Roswell. She found a place on the corner that wasn't too greasy ate quickly and left.  
  
Liz pulled up to the rundown apartment building. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst either.  
  
She checked in and went to what was to be her home. She had driven all night and was exhausted. The apartment had come furnished so she collapsed on the bed.  
  
There was a couple yelling next door.  
  
It smelled of cigarette smoke.  
  
Something was moving around in her cupboards that she had yet to clean.  
  
This was the complete turnaround from what she had grown up with.  
  
Where there had been pretty frilly sheets, there was now course material that was chafing her skin.  
  
Where there had been food whenever it was needed, there were now bare cupboards.  
  
Where there had been Max, there was no one.  
  
No one except her, and her unborn child. 


	6. CheckUps

"Ms. Parker?" The bouncy MA called.  
  
Liz stood wearily from her seat in the waiting room chair. Thankfully, her child had not decided to make her show, which gave her plenty of time to save up for maternity clothes which she would be needing.  
  
"This way." The MA skipped down the hall, there's no way you could call that form of movement skipping.  
  
"Thank you." Liz said quietly and followed her into the room.  
  
"You don't need to be shy, babe." She said handing her an examination gown. "I'm Maria. I'm not supposed to get to friendly because I have a very full waiting room out there, but I'll take a few minutes out." She sat down.  
  
"Am I supposed to change into this?" Liz asked.  
  
"Yes, now I know your name is Elizabeth, I'd like to get to know you. How old are you?"  
  
"I'm eighteen." Liz said. "How long do I have till the doctor comes? I don't really like to change in front of people." She said shyly.  
  
"You have a while. I'll leave you plenty of time, I know this place. Anyway, where's the kid's father?" She asked bluntly.  
  
Liz's eyes widened. Who was she to get so nosy? "Not here."  
  
"I see that." She said walking over to her.  
  
Does she know of a thing called a personal bubble?  
  
"I like you, Elizabeth Parker. Don't know why, usually takes me a while, but I like you." She said seriously.  
  
"OK. You've only known me for a few minutes." She said loosening up a bit.  
  
"Exactly. If I can stand being in the room with you for that long, I like you."  
  
"Ok. Can I change now?" Liz asked. She liked her but she wanted out of this appointment so she could continue her futile search for work. Her money wasn't going to last forever.  
  
"Sure. See me before you leave." She said before bouncing out of them room.  
  
Liz smiled. She was interested in having this girl for a friend. She was just the type of person she needed from her droll, serious world.  
  
"Ms. Parker how are you doing today?" The doctor comes in. "I'm Dr. Roberts, and as long as you come here for pre-natal care, I'll be your doctor." She smiles.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Now, Elizabeth," The doctor starts.  
  
"Liz."  
  
"Liz," She smiles. "I read here that you had trouble with your pregnancy earlier, true?"  
  
"Yes, some bleeding but everything was fine." Liz's voice shook.  
  
"Let's do this quickly, we'll take an ultrasound, see how baby's doing and then a pelvic, we should be done within the hour." The doctor set her clipboard down and washed her hands.  
  
Liz watched in anxiousness. "Why aren't I showing yet?"  
  
"I don't know, some women don't show very much, others show by the fourth month. It all depends on the women. Lay back, dear."  
  
Liz complied.  
  
Exactly an hour later Liz was changed back into her normal clothes.  
  
"The baby seems to have an abnormal heartbeat, right now."  
  
Liz eyes widened.  
  
"But, there is a chance that the baby will outgrow it. Most do. We'll keep a close eye on baby to follow the heart rate, all right? Baby does seem a tad bit small, but you're a small girl so there's really nothing to worry about. That's normal for a small mother to give birth to low weight babies, although, I was the biggest baby in the hospital and my mother was the smallest woman, so there's no telling." The doctor said steadily.  
  
Liz just nodded trying to process everything.  
  
"Why don't you come back in two weeks?"  
  
"Sure." Liz nodded, still shocked.  
  
"Will you be OK?" The doctor asked.  
  
"Yes, just give me a moment."  
  
"Any questions?" The doctor said kindly stroking her hair.  
  
"If there is a heart problem, will the doctor be able to fix it?" She asked quietly.  
  
"Yes, most cases are fixable, very few are not. Even things that couldn't be cured ten years ago are beginning to be fixed. Don't worry about it, Liz. I'll see you in two weeks." She left the room. Leaving a terrified Liz.  
  
So now she was alone, in a strange city, a strange state, with no one to help, and a sick baby.  
  
With no one else in the room, she let the tears run.  
  
****  
  
"Max, why don't you go on home, Sweetheart?" Diane asked her son. "You should be out with the guys, hanging out, before you start school."  
  
"No, I'll keep working." He shook his head.  
  
Inside, since the day left, Max promised himself he would work hard to become the man he needed to be. If he worked hard enough he could find Liz and their child, and open a division of his parents law firm wherever they were.  
  
"You worried about Elizabeth?" She asked standing up.  
  
"No." He flipped back around to the computer where he was filing away old cases.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes, Mother, and if I was I'd as Isabel, not you." He said coldly.  
  
Hurt by her son's rejection Diane buried herself into her work.  
  
"Dad says they've had reports of Liz's whereabouts, somewhere in LA."  
  
"Like in Los Angeles, California?" He looked up.  
  
"Yes." She was satisfied that she got her son's attention.  
  
"Why are you looking for her?" He asked almost angrily.  
  
He didn't want her to be found. He wanted her to go living her life as she was, without family interference, until he found her himself.  
  
"We're trying to help."  
  
"Stay out of it, Mom. Tell that to Mrs. Parker too, it's not like she cares about her." He stood up.  
  
"I'll be back after lunch."  
  
He stalked off to go find Isabel.  
  
****  
  
Maria poked her head into the exam room at the crying girl.  
  
"Hey, don't cry." She hopped up onto the bed and hugged the smaller girl.  
  
"My baby's sick, I don't know where it's father is, I don't know if I'm gonna get a job or if I'll have a home next week, my life is a mess!" She said wiping away tears embarrassed at having been caught and angry that someone had intruded.  
  
"No, you're baby's going to be born totally healthy I can feel it. You're looking for a job?"  
  
"Yes." Liz answered.  
  
Maria hopped down from the bed and handed Liz a tissue.  
  
"Look, Elizabeth."  
  
"Liz."  
  
"Liz," Maria amended. "We have a position open as a receptionist. How are you with computers?"  
  
Liz's head shot up. "What?"  
  
"How are you with computers and filing?" She repeated again.  
  
"I used to work in a law firm, a family friends, I'd say I'm pretty good with it." Liz said hesitantly.  
  
"Come on." Maria dragged her out to the receptionist.  
  
"Sally, what about that receptionist position, has it been taken?" Maria pulled her into the back room.  
  
"No, not yet." The woman called Sally didn't look up from the computer.  
  
"Well it is now." Maria said finally.  
  
"Yes, Maria, and who would it be filled by?"  
  
"Elizabeth Parker."  
  
"And Ms. Parker, have you had prior experience?"  
  
Liz explained.  
  
"Have a seat, dear." Sally nodded to the chair.  
  
She sat. They conducted a thirty-minute interview. Liz walked away from the clinic with a new job in hand, as well as a more secure future. 


	7. New Places

Liz sat staring at the computer screen. The neighbors had been in a fight and had kept her up. And when they were quiet, her baby wasn't. The baby was beginning to make an appearance and was hard about it too.  
  
"Liz, you ok?" Maria asked sitting down in one of her rare moments of free time.  
  
"Yes." She yawned and went back to typing up her end of the day reports.  
  
"You have a name for the baby yet?" She asked looking at her stomach. She was seven months along.  
  
"No, I don't even know if it's a boy or girl. I just like to call it a she." She smiled and took her hand from the keyboard to smooth it over her tummy.  
  
"I think Maria is a wonderful name." She said standing up again.  
  
"I think not." She smirked back.  
  
"Fine." She shrugged. "It defines a strong and smart woman." She said. "You sleeping at night?"  
  
"Yes." She said a little too quickly.  
  
"No you haven't. Liz I've known you for what, three months now?"  
  
"Yes." Liz nodded.  
  
"Where do you live?"  
  
"On Crescent and Twelfth." She said.  
  
Maria raised her eyebrows. "Down there?"  
  
"Yeah, it's not the best place in the world to be pregnant but I really don't have a choice." Liz said defensively.  
  
"Hey, calm down, it's alright, I wasn't accusing you." Maria answered soothingly calming her down.  
  
"Sorry. Just tired."  
  
"That contradicts your last statement."  
  
"Hey, I'm pregnant, I'm allowed to be tired." Liz smiled.  
  
"Yeah. I guess." She went back to assign more rooms to patients.  
  
****  
  
"When was Liz's due date?" Diane Evans asked while sitting at dinner late in October.  
  
"December 3, earliest." Max said staring intently at his food.  
  
"What do you suppose she is doing?"  
  
"How should I know?" He shrugged.  
  
Isabel watched with intense dislike at her brother and mother. Her father was as usual in Albuquerque.  
  
"Can I be excused?" She pushed away from the table.  
  
"Yes." Diane said staring at Max still.  
  
He glared right back. Isabel marched from the room.  
  
"Would you stop glaring at me?" Diane said bitterly. "It was her choice to leave."  
  
"It was your choice to bring her up."  
  
"I just thought it would be healthy for you to at least talk about it."  
  
"Not at the table mother." He shook his head. "I'm going to finish a paper I have to write."  
  
"You work too hard, Max." She looked concerned.  
  
"I have to." He too walked from the room leaving Diane by herself.  
  
[I] "Liz, how are you doing?" Isabel asked softly.  
  
"Fine." Liz said through a yawn.  
  
"Are you sure, you sound tired."  
  
"I am."  
  
"How's the baby?"  
  
"We're almost sure it's a girl. It's harder to tell when they're a girl because we never know if we're just missing something, we never know for sure until they're born." Liz sat up in bed.  
  
"And her heart?" "Not good." She said softly.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"We're still not able to get a steady heartbeat. But it's beating, and she sure is moving." Liz laughed after her last comment.  
  
"They say it could be that she's in a weird position that's harder to get a read. I'll keep you posted, Izzy."  
  
"Do you want me to tell him?" Isabel asked softly.  
  
"No, Isabel, please don't. I'm doing fine on my own. I have friends here who are willing to help." Liz pleaded.  
  
"I won't until you want me too." Isabel promised solemnly.  
  
Isabel looked up when she heard a knock on the door. "Isabel?" It was Max.  
  
"Coming, Max. Liz, I gotta go, she said quietly."  
  
"Yeah, I know, I'll talk to you soon." Liz said smiling sadly on the phone.  
  
"Goodbye, love ya." Isabel hung up the phone." [/I]  
  
"That was her wasn't it?" Max asked sadly at his sister.  
  
She started to shake her no, but then turned into a quick nod.  
  
"How is she?" He sat down on the bed.  
  
"She's ok." She lied swiftly.  
  
"And the baby?"  
  
"Perfect." Isabel felt bad about lying to the child's father, but it was Liz's wish.  
  
"Good." He turned to leave but then turned around quickly. "Thank you." And he shut the door.  
  
****  
  
"Alex, I found the perfect roommate." Maria hopped onto her best friend's bed.  
  
"Who?" He asked looking up from his computer at the desk.  
  
"She's a girl I work with."  
  
"Name?"  
  
"Liz Parker."  
  
"The pregnant one?" He said skeptically.  
  
"Yes, but, Alex, she lives down on Crescent and Twelfth." Maria started to plead her case.  
  
"So."  
  
"Alex, she's nice and sweet. She has no one to help her take care of the baby. And besides, we have to find someone quick before Serena moves out."  
  
"Maria."  
  
"The baby might even have a heart condition. Alex, please. I know she'll take care of her rent. She a nice girl, she'll stick to herself."  
  
"Fine." Alex agreed. "But this better work.  
  
Alex had a lot of faith in his best friend's trusting habits. She could judge character easily and knew when someone was going to make a good friend.  
  
"Great." Maria hopped off the bed and went to work.  
  
****  
  
"Morning, Liz." Maria waltzed in later that morning.  
  
"Morning, Maria." She said back.  
  
"Bad night?"  
  
"Yeah, on top of the neighbors, the baby was restless." Liz said.  
  
"Well, you won't be bothered by neighbors."  
  
"Hmm?" Liz said only half listening.  
  
"Our, my best friend and I, just lost one of our roommates, and there's no way we could keep the apartment with just the two of us. You wanna move in?"  
  
Liz looked up now from the computer. "Excuse me?"  
  
"It'll be 500 a month plus groceries, but it's furnished and everything."  
  
"I don't know? Where's it at?"  
  
"Orange County."  
  
"So far?"  
  
"We can carpool to work. But, what do you say, you don't want your little Maria born down there do you, Liz?"  
  
"It sounds alright, and no, I don't want [i]Hannah[/i] to be born down there."  
  
"It's settled them. Can you move in next week?"  
  
"Can I see the apartment?"  
  
"No." Maria said. "you'll like."  
  
Blindly trusting her new friend Liz accepted the new offer. 


	8. The Birth

A/N: Just so you guys know, I have little knowledge of heart murmurs and such heart congenital defects. I'm making some of this stuff up off the top of my head so the story works out right. In my little world this is the way the world works.  
  
"Liz, are you alright?" Alex popped the door open. He heard quite a bit shifting around in her room.  
  
"Yes, Alex." She said from flat on her back on the floor.  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yes." She smiled. "Ever since I was little, I would just lie out on my back whenever I was stressed or aching. It's the most comfortable position."  
  
"You're pregnant, Liz." He asked concerned, he'd come to care for her over the past month she had been living with them.  
  
"I noticed. If I get back in that bed I swear, I'm not gonna scream." She said.  
  
"Fine. Where does it ache?" He said coming to sit next to her.  
  
"Lower back." She said closing her eyes. "Sometimes I wish she would just come, yet I know it's the safest place in the world for her to be, and I don't want her to leave it."  
  
"I know, she's going to soon, Liz." Alex said.  
  
"Could you get me a warm pack, Alex, not hot just lukewarm?" She asked.  
  
"Yes." He stood and left her on the floor and returned a few minutes later.  
  
"Thanks." She settled it under her back to where it was comfortable and closed her eyes.  
  
Alex sat by her not feeling quite right leaving her by herself.  
  
Maria poked her head in the door fifteen minutes later.  
  
"Is this some sort of slumber party without me?" She asked sitting down next to Alex.  
  
"Quiet, Maria." He motioned her.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"She just fell back to sleep." Alex said.  
  
"Why are you letting her lie on the floor, Alex? She's pregnant."  
  
"She wants to be here." He shrugged.  
  
"Why?" Maria whispered.  
  
"It's more comfortable here." Liz told Maria peeping through her eyelids.  
  
"Baby giving you a lot of trouble?" She sympathized.  
  
"Yeah, much more than usual." She said and shifted to rest her head in Maria's lap.  
  
"Are you sure that's all it is?" Maria stroked her hair concerned.  
  
"It's too early for her to be born." Liz shook her head in denial. "We still have another month."  
  
"If you're sure."  
  
A few minutes later, Liz excused herself to go the bathroom.  
  
"Umm, Maria, can you come here for a second?" Liz called.  
  
"In the bathroom with her?" Alex asked disgusted.  
  
"No, Alex, just outside the door." Maria whacked him on the head before going to see what was up. "What's wrong, babe?" She called.  
  
"I think my water just broke."  
  
**** The doctor stepped out of the room frustrated.  
  
Maria followed close behind. "What's up, Morgan?"  
  
"It's not good." The doctor was a good friend of Maria's from when she had been a freshmen.  
  
"Why?" She asked eagerly looking at an exhausted Liz who was resting briefly inside the room.  
  
"She's been in labor for four hours and the baby hasn't even turned. She's a month early, we may have to perform a cesarean." He said through a sigh.  
  
"Luckily it's a slow night and she's the only one, huh?" Maria asked. The labor and delivery floor was unusually empty.  
  
"Yeah, the memorial hospital is taking most of our L&Ds." He said. "I don't even know how much longer we're going to stay open here." He turned back towards the room. The nurse was reattaching a band around Liz's stomach to monitor her heart beat as well as the baby's. "You wanna tell her, or do you want me to?"  
  
Maria took a deep breath before walking in to the room to deliver the news.  
  
"Hey, how's little Maria doing?" She asked softly stroking the hair from her face.  
  
"Hannah's doing great." Liz emphasized. "Besides the fact that she refuses to come."  
  
"Liz, the doctor told me something." She sat down in the chair next to her.  
  
"What?" Liz said noticing the look on Maria's face. "What's wrong?"  
  
"The baby still hasn't turned. And because of the heartbeat, they want to perform a cesarean." She said slowly.  
  
Liz stared blankly ahead. She remembered from biology class that the baby usually turned before the mother's water broke. She nodded.  
  
"They want to do it soon, Liz. For your health and little Maria's." Maria told her stroking her hand.  
  
"Alright." She whispered. Her face contorted again. The pain was harsh but as the doctor had said earlier, they were making no progress.  
  
One hour later, Liz held her little girl, Hannah Bella-Marie Parker, in her arms.  
  
"She's gorgeous, Liz." Maria said to her. Liz was drifting in and out of sleep but refused to let anyone take her daughter except for a few tests.  
  
"The doctor said she was healthy looking for a one month premature." Liz whispered proudly. "She only looks healthy though." She said through tears.  
  
"What happened?" Maria had waited in the waiting room outside during the procedure and was only now allowed into the room.  
  
"She has a heart murmur. It's fixable but he doesn't want to risk it on such an early birth. They have medicine she can take until she's big enough to cope with the surgery to fix it." Liz held her baby delicately close to her body.  
  
"She'll be ok. There are so many medical advances out there for her, Liz. Don't worry."  
  
"Hello, Mommy." The nurse knocked on the door. "Ready for first feeding?"  
  
"Yeah." Liz said trying to sit up but wincing in pain.  
  
"Here." Maria adjusted the pillows. "I'll be outside, Babe." She told her.  
  
"No, Maria, please stay?" Liz pleaded, not wanting to be alone.  
  
"Fine." she rested once more on the bed.  
  
****  
  
Max had a hard time focusing on his book that he had been reading for English.  
  
"Max, what is wrong with you?" Michael asked his best friend.  
  
"Nothing, I just feel jumpy." He thumped the book down on the table and paced to the window.  
  
Liz had a month to go till the baby was born. He knew that Isabel talked to her regularly and that she wasn't telling him everything. Which was fine if that was what Liz wanted.  
  
"Why don't we call it a night?" Michael stood up as well and stretched.  
  
"I think that would be a good idea." Max said not looking at his friend. "Goodnight, Michael."  
  
"Goodnight." He left the room quietly noticing his friend wasn't going to say more.  
  
Max showered and crawled into bed exhausted making sure his cell was on.  
  
He was almost asleep when his phone started ringing, without looking at the number he answered. "Hello?"  
  
"Max?"  
  
It was Liz! "Liz, Liz, where are you?" He shot up in bed.  
  
"You have a daughter, she was born at 3:25 a.m. on November 4. She weighs 5 lbs, 6 ounces. Her name is Hannah Bella-Marie Parker. Congratulations. Goodbye, Max." And the line went dead.  
  
Max stared at the phone in disbelief before he shot out of bed. "Isabel!"  
  
****  
  
Liz squeezed her eyes shut. She should have told Max about Hannah's condition but that would make him try to come and look for her and she couldn't have that.  
  
"You ok?" Maria asked concerned. The feeding had left her friend drained and she had protested calling Max until morning.  
  
"I'm fine." She whispered fighting off the pain, both in her abdomen and in her heart before she fell asleep.  
  
Liz awoke later for another feeding at the insistence of the nurse, even though she wasn't crying.  
  
"Breastfed babies usually lose weight after birth before they start gaining, Mommy, it's best to feed whenever possible." The nurse insisted.  
  
Taking her daughter from the nurse she took her advice. After she was done Liz just sat and cuddled her baby.  
  
"Are you keeping the baby?" The morning nurse asked the next morning.  
  
"Of course, I'm keeping her, why would you think anything different?" She hadn't been acting distant from her child had she? She couldn't remember putting her down except she was sleeping.  
  
"There's a Social Worker here to see you."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Hello, Ms. Parker, my name is Winifred Smith and I am going to be your caseworker." She introduced herself as if Liz wanted her there.  
  
Liz gazed back at her. Her brown eyes filled with anger at the woman sitting next to her. 


	9. Time Out For Parents

A/N: I know the TOP program exists, but my mother's busy so I can't ask her the specific details of it. I think I have the basics so you guys will get the jest of it.  
  
"Mom, I told you not to let her come in her by herself!" Maria bustled in behind another woman she assumed was her mother.  
  
"Maria, w-what's going on?" Liz pulled the infant protectively to her chest. Hannah opened her eyes for a quick second before grunting and closing them to fall back into a deep sleep.  
  
Liz smiled down at her daughter before turning back to them.  
  
"Actually, Liz, don't worry." The other woman stepped forward. "My name is Amy Valenti, and you already know my daughter, Maria."  
  
"I'm Winifred, as I already introduced. I can tell you're already worried about why we're here, but there's no reason to." She smiled softly at Liz. "In Orange County, where you currently live, there is a great program for people like you. It's called Time Out For Parents."  
  
Liz looked at her skeptically. "And what is this?"  
  
"It's for single parents with children with special medical issues. What we do is offer care for the child at no charge to the parent as well as help with medical bills. Usually, we install these children or infants in homes of strangers, luckily, Amy Valenti here has been a part of this program for five years and is willing to take care of the baby for you, when you decide to go back to work." She finished.  
  
Liz stared. Help with medical bills could be a great thing considering she was a single eighteen-year-old mother. She hadn't even thought of what kind of daycare she was going to send her to or anything else for that matter.  
  
"Also, usually, we will supply you with a crib or diapers occasionally, depending on your monthly income."  
  
Liz glanced down at her daughter who was beginning to grunt some more. She was tiny, yes, but she was adorable. Her face scrunched up like she was ready to cry. A tiny squeal came out but her face and lungs were gathering the energy to let out a real cry.  
  
"She looks hungry," Liz said hoping to get them out of the room and time to think about the program.  
  
"You go ahead and feed her. One more thing, Liz, in the state of California there must be a father's name on the birth certificate." They stood and left the room, Maria shooting a sympathetic look back at Liz's shocked face.  
  
****  
  
"Isabel, has she called you yet?" Max said standing impatiently in her doorway.  
  
"No, Max, and she probably won't in the next couple of days. In case you didn't know, childbirth is an extremely tiresome event. In a few days she'll call and fill me in. She might even call you now that she's born." Isabel explained gently.  
  
"Thanks." He turned around and went back to his room. He had been awake since Liz's phone call a few hours earlier. She was a little more than a month early. The thought terrified him. What if something had gone wrong? What if he could have been there for her? He should have, and he knew it. Now he was kicking himself because he wasn't. Because he was unable to disobey his mother's wishes.  
  
****  
  
"How's Mommy doing?" The afternoon nurse walked in.  
  
Liz smiled it was such a new thing to be called Mommy. It was a name earned and it was something special.  
  
"Fine. She just ate again."  
  
"That's wonderful, Mommy." The nurse took her and laid her down. "I have to take her to an exam room down the hall, the doctors going to run a few more blood tests. Don't worry, Mommy, they won't hurt her, in the long run they may save her life. She'll be back in a few minutes."  
  
Liz watched her daughter be pushed off in the basket.  
  
"Hey." There was a knock on the door a few minutes later. Maria and Alex walked into the room with a bouquet of yellow roses.  
  
"Hello, guys." Liz said.  
  
"Where's the baby?" Alex asked disappointed, he had fallen in love with her at first sight.  
  
"She's having some small tests run."  
  
"When will she be back?"  
  
"In a few minutes, why don't you two sit down?" She offered.  
  
"Sure, why not?" Maria asked. She handed her the bouquet and placed a small kiss on her forehead.  
  
"So, Maria told me her mother's offered to be Hannah's TOP."  
  
"Yeah. I was thinking about that. Should I do it. I think it would be best actually."  
  
"Yeah, and Amy's really good with children. Look at Maria for instance, she turned out great." Alex said with a smirk.  
  
Liz raised an eyebrow. "If that's my baseline, maybe I better find elsewhere to send my daughter." Liz teased.  
  
"Good point." Alex nodded solemnly. He ducked to avoid the blow he was coming but not fast enough.  
  
Liz chuckled. "Don't make me laugh too much it hurts, stitches remember?"  
  
"Oh yeah." Alex sobered. "So when's my baby coming back?"  
  
****  
  
Max's cell phone rang and an unfamiliar number popped up on the display screen. He answered it quickly.  
  
[I] "Hello?"  
  
"Max?" He heard. He knew that voice. He would know it everywhere.  
  
"Liz?" He said desperately.  
  
"Yes. Look, Max, I called you for a purpose. I need to put your name on the birth certificate. In the state where I'm at, it's required. They may send you child support papers or whatever, but, I'm gonna try to get them to waive it."  
  
"Liz, where are you?"  
  
"I can't tell you that. But, Max, don't be surprised if you get a document in the mail, alright. Don't try to find me, us. We're doing fine. She's doing fine. We were just a little early. She didn't want to be in there anymore. Bye Max." She hung up the phone and wiped angrily at the tears that had made their way down her face. [/I]  
  
"Ms. Parker, have you decided what you are going to do with TOP?" The worker entered the room again.  
  
"I think it would be the best thing in the world for me." Liz agreed.  
  
****  
  
"Hello, Ms. Parker." The doctor woke her up.  
  
It had been the first time she had rested for any length of time. "Hi." She rasped.  
  
"I'm sorry for waking you up, but we've found more conditions for Hannah." He entered the room.  
  
"It's alright, where is she?"  
  
"In the nursery. They'll keep her for a while." He said. "Would you mind if my friend's son joins us? He thinks he's my intern." The doctor smiled.  
  
"Sure, why not?" Liz said. If the doctor was comfortable with him why shouldn't she be?  
  
"Hi!" A young man walked in.  
  
He wasn't extremely tall but not short. His hair fell into his eyes. Usually that got on her nerves but on him it was kind of cute. It was the first time she had remotely looked at a guy since Max.  
  
"Hi, I'm Kyle Valenti." He held out his hand.  
  
She took. "Liz Parker, as you already know." She knew that name, Valenti. She searched her brain for it. Maria's mom's name was Valenti!  
  
"No chance you're related to an Amy Valenti?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah, she's my stepmother." He smiled, "You know her?"  
  
"Yeah, she's my TOP."  
  
"Looks like I'll be seeing you around then." He winked at her.  
  
"Alright, Kyle, you can be in here if you promise not to flirt with my patients." He said firmly but with a smile.  
  
"Sorry." He stuck his hands in his pockets. And took his place by the doctor.  
  
"Kyle's gonna be a doctor someday." He explained smiling at him then turned to his charts. "Ms. Parker, the tests have come back."  
  
"Ok." She struggled to sit up  
  
Kyle was immediately at her side helping to support her arms and stayed until she was comfortable. He stepped back and jammed his hands in his pockets again.  
  
"Thanks." She said quietly. "Now tell me about Hannah."  
  
"We've found a series of small holes in her heart." He held his hand up to keep her quiet. "They're all fixable. We want to wait until she's a little older so we won't delay much of her development. It's a major surgery but the chances are extremely high that once she has this surgery, she will live her life out as a normal little girl."  
  
"It can be fixed, like her murmur?" She asked anxiously, suddenly wanting to hold her as if she could protect her from the world.  
  
"Yes. We'll do the surgery at the same time. She will be heavily monitored until the surgery. We're going to put her on an Apnea Monitor. We'll explain everything when it's time for you to go home. Amy Valenti, your TOP, is already trained for Apnea Care. Any questions?"  
  
"Not at the moment, can I see her please?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah, it's time for another feeding anyway. How far apart are her feedings?"  
  
"Every two hours."  
  
"That's perfect." The doctor smiled easily. "You're doing great."  
  
"It's only been two days."  
  
"I know, we might send you two home tomorrow."  
  
"Good, home is good." Liz nodded.  
  
"Yes. You'll be more comfortable."  
  
Kyle studied Liz's lost look. She wasn't ready to go home yet. He'd have to think about that one.  
  
****  
  
"Liz?" The knock was soft knock on the door.  
  
"Come in." She called. She pulled Hannah closer and covered her head with a small blanket while she nursed.  
  
"Hello, Liz." Amy Valenti walked into the room. It was the first time she had come unaccompanied by Maria.  
  
"Hello, Mrs. Valenti." She smiled at her.  
  
"Liz, I know you're scared to take her home and I know that after a C- Section or any birth, is a difficult thing. If you want, I know you're not ready to go home by yourself yet, if you want you can stay with us until you're rested. I talked to my husband about it. He says it's fine." She said.  
  
"Mothers go home all the time right after birth." Liz replied. She didn't want to go home alone any more than Amy wanted her to go home but she put on a good argument anyway.  
  
"Those mothers have husbands." She said determinedly.  
  
"Maria offered to help at our place."  
  
"I would feel much better if you came home with me. That way you wouldn't be alone with the Apnea Monitor the first week or two. And it will give Hannah time to get comfortable with me before you leave. You'll leave after Thanksgiving, alright?"  
  
Knowing that Amy was every bit as stubborn as her daughter, Liz gave in. 


	10. Birth Announcements

A/N: No, this is not a UC fic. I'm 100% Dreamer. I just added Kyle to make it a bit more interesting. That's it. No worries though, I have it all worked out in my head!  
  
Chapter 10  
  
Liz laid Hannah down after double-checking her Apnea Monitor. She returned to her bed quietly. It was one in the afternoon and she was exhausted. Amy had helped her out a bit during the night but Liz had insisted on doing it completely on her own without any help.  
  
The house was silent except for Kyle who was down the hall. Amy was down at the Social Services office getting papers signed and ready so when it was time for Hannah to go into her care, it wouldn't take very long.  
  
She crawled into the bed and tried to relax. It still was uncomfortable to lie on her stomach. On her bed she loved to lie on her stomach, on the floor it was her back.  
  
She shifted pillows around and moved sheets. She changed clothes once. She pulled out more birth announcement cards. She could only do one in the hospital because she was tired. Now she really didn't have anything else to do.  
  
"Hey." There was a knock on the door.  
  
She looked up startled. "Hey, Kyle. Come on in."  
  
"Sorry to startle you, where's the little one?"  
  
"Asleep." She nodded towards the crib.  
  
He went over and looked at the sleeping baby. "She's tiny, but she doesn't look any different from any of my mother's other babies, except she's cuter."  
  
"Thank you." Liz glowed with pride. "Are you having trouble resting?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm used to being on my stomach." She said shyly.  
  
"Oh, that could be a problem." He glanced down at her stomach.  
  
"Yes, it does pose one. I need to get used to not having things my way." She shrugged.  
  
"Mind if I sit?" He motioned towards the bed.  
  
"Sure." She scooted over making room for him on the bed.  
  
He leaned against the headboard.  
  
"So what are you doing at home this time of day?" She asked to keep a conversation going.  
  
"I had things to do here."  
  
"Oh." She shifted towards him for some unknown reason.  
  
"You look exhausted. What time will she wake up again?"  
  
Liz flicked her eyes to the clock. "An hour in a half."  
  
"You can rest until then." He gently pulled her closer to him.  
  
"No, I'll do it on my own." She protested.  
  
"No, come here, rest." He guided her head onto his shoulder. "We'll finish these birth announcements shall we?" He picked up the pen. "What's her full name."  
  
Liz recited the information until she gently lulled herself to sleep.  
  
Kyle smiled and pulled out the book from his back pocket. He moved as little as possible as Liz slept peacefully.  
  
Liz woke up to someone nudging her awake.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Someone's hungry." He held Hannah to Liz.  
  
"Oh." She was suddenly awake. She sat up straighter against the headboard.  
  
"I'll leave you two be." He smiled a kind smile happy with himself. "She's beautiful, Liz. Like her mother."  
  
"Thank you." Liz said not realizing his last comment. He gently shut the door behind him and went on with his work.  
  
****  
  
Max anxiously opened the envelope. Isabel had given it to him saying it was from Liz. Max looked at the contents and froze.  
  
This was his daughter. His baby girl. Hannah.  
  
He read over the birth announcement:  
  
Name: Hannah Bella-Marie Parker  
  
Date: November 4, 2002  
  
Weight: 5 Pounds, 6 Ounces  
  
Length: 18 inches  
  
Mother: Elizabeth Parker  
  
Father: ------  
  
Max's hands shook. The writing was far from Liz's neat precise writing. Father's name had not been filled in. Maybe it didn't deserve to be there.  
  
His daughter was small, she was healthy looking for being a month early. She had dark curly hair on her head. He knew that it would straighten after Liz cut it for the first time. Both he and Liz had curly hair as young kids but had lost them over time. Her eyes were dark and deep. Her face round. He was suddenly aching to hold his daughter, and Liz, in his arms.  
  
He dumped out the rest of the contents of the envelope.  
  
His eyes teared up when he saw it was pictures of Liz with the baby a few days after the birth. There was a look of pure exhaustion on Liz's face. She was smiling and carefully cradling her small bundle. There was another picture. She was not aware the picture was being taken. She was staring down at Hannah total love in her eyes. She was stroking a finger across her cheek.  
  
"Max, are you OK?" His mother asked. He was sitting at the kitchen table.  
  
"Look." He held up the birth announcements. The other pictures were for him and him alone.  
  
"Oh, isn't she cute?" Mrs. Evans took it from him. "That's my granddaughter. We have to put it on the refrigerator." She went to hang it up.  
  
"No, Mom, it's not going up." He removed it from her hands. "It's going in my room."  
  
"But, Max, it's my granddaughter."  
  
"Obviously. You didn't think about that seven months ago when we told you. You forced her to leave, Mother. No, her picture is not going up on your refrigerator."  
  
"Isabel will want to see."  
  
"Isabel has her own. Good Evening, Mother." He took the pictures from the table and stalked angrily up to his room. He knew inside that he didn't even deserve to have her picture. He had forced Liz to leave as well.  
  
****  
  
"Kyle, will you watch her for a few minutes?" Liz handed him Hannah. "I want to make sure we have everything before I go, and I need to find Maria."  
  
"Of course." He cradled her gently in his arms. "Hey."  
  
"Hello, Kyle. Thank you for holding my baby." Alex walked in the door and scooped Hannah away.  
  
"Hey, I was holding her." Kyle crossed his arms. "This is my house and I didn't say you could come in."  
  
"Fine, don't cry." Alex handed her back. "Remember at the end of this week, I get to live with her." Alex smiled. "And Maria's right behind me, it's her house, she said I could come in."  
  
"Thank you." Kyle accepted the baby back.  
  
"If you two can't behave around that child, I'm going to take her away from both of you permanently." Maria rushed in the door. "You both grew up with babies, they're fragile."  
  
"Alright, Maria come on." Liz said. "I'll take her back now." Liz stood on tiptoes to take her daughter back. "Thank you."  
  
"Adieu, Hannah." He said quietly.  
  
Liz smiled at him and placed her in her seat. "Alright, we'll see you guys later.'  
  
Maria held the door open and they were off to the doctor's office.  
  
****  
  
Liz returned from the doctor with a screaming Hannah.  
  
"Hey." Kyle held the door open.  
  
"Hello, Kyle." She said quickly and removed the baby from the seat and rushed back to her room to feed her.  
  
"Move out of the way." Maria barged through the door.  
  
"What? You don't have a baby, little sister." He grabbed her and pecked her cheek.  
  
"No, Kyle, you can ask her out yourself." She pushed him away.  
  
"No, for once, I was just saying hi, although it wouldn't be a bad idea." He smiled.  
  
"Kyle, leave her alone. The father of her child left her alone pregnant. Give her time to adjust to being a mother then, when she's secure, you can go for it. Only when she's secure." Maria pecked him on his cheek and went to check on Liz and Hannah.  
  
Kyle knew that he had to wait a little while to date Liz. That didn't need any telling, she wasn't ready. But it wouldn't hurt to ease her into the idea, would it? 


	11. Doctor Appointment

"Alright, Hannah, sit up like a good girl for Mama." Liz held her daughter straight.  
  
She moved her hands away and Hannah tipped over with a squeal. She landed safely in Liz's arms.  
  
"She'll never learn if you don't let her fall." Maria said standing in the doorway. "Watch."  
  
Maria sat her up once again and held Liz back so she couldn't catch her. "She's gonna fall." Liz protested.  
  
"That's the point." Moving away Hannah squealed before landing with a flop onto the bed.  
  
She was silent for a minute before blinking. Her faced scrunched up and turned red.  
  
Liz picked her up before too long, instantly she settled down and started squealing and giggling again.  
  
"Now sit her back up again." Maria instructed.  
  
Looking at Maria Liz set her on the bed. She steadied her before moving her hands away.  
  
Hannah stiffened her back when Liz let go and kept herself from falling.  
  
Liz clapped and Maria smiled. Hannah squealed, giggled and tipped. Before she could cry her hands caught her attention and she proceeded to chew on them.  
  
"What's all that yelling about?" Alex walked in.  
  
"Look, Alex." Liz held her daughter up in the sitting position and demonstrated to Alex what she could do.  
  
Because of her excitement she fell over immediately.  
  
"I'll show you later." Liz said picking her up.  
  
"She wants to go to the park, she told me she did." Alex said taking her from Liz.  
  
"No, Alex, not right now, it's nap time." Liz smiled at Alex. "When she wakes up, you can take her to the park." Liz promised.  
  
"Oh, come on, Liz, she's not hungry or tired." Alex protested.  
  
"Alex, she's six months old. She is hungry, because her mother feels like she's going to burst." Liz said patiently while taking Hannah from Alex.  
  
She sat in her rocker which she had fallen in love with during the long nights awake.  
  
"She'll be awake in an hour if you wanna come back then." Liz told them. "I'm going to feed her, Alex."  
  
"I'll be back in an hour." He said before retreating back to his room.  
  
"He's so besotted with her." Maria smiled throwing herself across Liz's bed.  
  
"I know." Liz smiled.  
  
"Did you get the waiver confirmations?" Maria asked.  
  
"Yeah, I got them yesterday." Liz rocked her slowly.  
  
"Can he find you?" Maria asked curious about the man who was Hannah's father.  
  
"If he wanted to, he would find us." Liz told her. "If he really wanted to, he could, Maria, and that what worries me."  
  
****  
  
"Max, what are you doing?" Diane asked. It was two in the morning.  
  
"Studying." He said not looking up.  
  
"At this rate you'll have your own firm in a little more than two years."  
  
"That's my intention." He told her.  
  
"Where do you plan on starting one?" She asked sitting down.  
  
"California."  
  
****  
  
Liz sat with Hannah in her lap when Kyle walked into the room.  
  
Hannah let out a squeal of delight.  
  
"Hey, Liz. Why do you look so down?" Kyle sat across from her.  
  
"Because we have a heart appointment today."  
  
"That should be a good thing, shouldn't it?" He asked unsure.  
  
"Yes, they might take her off the night monitor." Liz handed Hannah to Kyle so that the poor baby would stop straining. "What are you doing here, Kyle?" She asked.  
  
"Maria told me to come over and check up on you." He shrugged.  
  
He said something to Hannah in French.  
  
"What'd you say?" Kyle always did that.  
  
"I asked her if she'd been a good girl, that's all." He said smiling.  
  
"She's going to know more French than English. Does your mother speak French?"  
  
"Yeah, and so does Maria but she chooses not to. My dad taught her when she was younger she likes to pretend she doesn't know it."  
  
"Why would she do that?"  
  
"Why does Maria do anything?"  
  
"Good point."  
  
"Hey, don't talk about me guys." Maria bounced into the room. "Liz, I can't make it to the appointment. I have to go get fingerprinted for TOP with my mother." Maria said apologetically. "It's a very last minute thing, I'm so sorry."  
  
"It's alright." Liz said looking down at her hands. She hated going to the appointments alone. It made her want to contact Max. She knew she couldn't do that.  
  
In a way she knew that he had a right to know there was something wrong with his own daughter. But then he really shouldn't care because he was willing to give her away to strangers.  
  
"I can go with her." Kyle perked up. "If you don't mind, Liz."  
  
Maria smiled proudly at herself.  
  
"Sure, if you would, that would be really nice." Liz said relieved.  
  
"Alright, when's the appointment?"  
  
"In a half hour, we have to leave now." Liz stood up. "Hannah's ready."  
  
"Alright." Kyle laid her in her seat and buckled her in while mumbling something to her in French.  
  
"Kyle, please." Liz said with annoyance.  
  
"Hey it's good that she learns two languages."  
  
"Sure, make it one I know. I don't need a teenager who can curse me out in two languages."  
  
"I can teach it to you." He said helpfully.  
  
"Really?"  
  
'yes, it wouldn't be a problem." He smiled.  
  
"Fine you can teach me." She said before walking out the door sure he would follow with Hannah.  
  
****  
  
Liz sat quietly in the waiting room. Hannah chirped away happily.  
  
The other mothers watched Hannah most heart patients were quiet, unable to breathe easily while silent.  
  
Hannah had a need to be loud and nothing could be done to quiet her when she was happy. When she was in church she was just as loud.  
  
"You seem sad, she seems to be perfectly happy." Kyle said observing the two.  
  
"Yeah, she just thinks it's fun to be somewhere different." Liz smiled at her daughter who let out a shriek when her mother smiled.  
  
"Ms. Parker." The MA called out. Kyle picked up the carrier and followed Liz into the back.  
  
Within a few moments the doctor was in. "Hello, Kyle, surprise to see you here." He smiled. "I've studied Hannah's chart readings from the monitor It seems she is ready to come off at night." He said.  
  
Liz looked panicked.  
  
"Don't worry, everything will be fine, you won't even be able to tell the difference." He smiled.  
  
"Just keep her the way you have been and she'll be fine."  
  
Liz nodded. Hannah was quiet for once studying the doctor.  
  
"She's a quiet one." He said smiling at the baby.  
  
Kyle hid a smile and Liz stared at the doctor like he was crazy. "Not really. She usually jabbers non-stop when she's awake, she's just being quiet right now."  
  
As if to prove her mother correct, Hannah let out a loud squeal and giggled. Then she began talking and mumbling nonsense.  
  
"Told you." Liz winced at the high pitched sound.  
  
"Does she get blue at all when she does that for a while?"  
  
"Nope." Liz said. "She never seems out of breath either."  
  
The doctor smiled brightly. "That's great, that means it's not near as serious as it could be."  
  
Liz beamed.  
  
"She's on baby food correct?"  
  
"Yes." Liz nodded.  
  
"We have a new medicine. It's in a small yogurt container. It tastes like yogurt. What it does, on some children is it helps the heart to patch itself back up. We can try it. The worst that can happen is that it won't work to the full effect but the surgery would then only be minor. Just make sure she gets one full container a day. They're not very big."  
  
"We can try it." She nodded open to anything that might prevent a surgery.  
  
"Great, I'll right a prescription. Any questions, Kyle?" He turned to him. "Oh, I just got a call, you're to be my intern next month."  
  
Kyle smiled. "Great."  
  
"Is that it?" Liz stood and put Hannah back in her seat.  
  
"Yes." Give me a call if she likes the yogurt." The doctor said shaking her hand.  
  
The doctor mumbled something in French to Kyle. Liz let out a frustrated sigh. She was going to learn French and she was going to learn it fast. 


	12. Serena

Hannah followed quietly behind Liz on sturdy little legs.  
  
"Mama." Hannah laid her head against her pant leg when they reached the stairs leading up to their apartment.  
  
Liz looked down and smiled at her daughter. Hannah held her arms up for her mother to pick her up.  
  
Liz frowned as she bent down to pick her up. Hannah's energy level had gone down the past few weeks.  
  
"You ok?" Liz asked before setting her down on the ground in the apartment. Maria and Alex weren't home yet. They were out with their old roommate, Serena.  
  
Instead of running off to find toys as she normally did, she stayed by Liz.  
  
"What's wrong?" Liz looked down at her daughter.  
  
She smiled and held her hands up.  
  
Liz picked her up and went over to her chair to sit down.  
  
"You wanna read a book?"  
  
She shook her head no and just snuggled into Liz. Liz stroked her still curly hair. She was reluctant to cut it. It was only curly at the tips and when it was cut she knew it would be as straight as her own hair.  
  
Liz picked up her own reading book and opened it up to where she was before.  
  
Hannah sat quietly sucking her thumb while her mother read.  
  
Sometime while she was reading Hannah slipped from Liz's lap and went to her diaper bag and retrieved a bottle.  
  
Somewhere around eight months Hannah had found it a lot more enjoyable to be able to look around while eating so Liz had to switch to bottles.  
  
"Where'd you get that?" Liz asked surprised when she crawled back into her lap, bottle tucked securely under her arm.  
  
Hannah smiled and relaxed once again against Liz.  
  
"Knock, knock, Liz. We're home." Maria called softly from the door.  
  
"She's awake, Maria." Liz called.  
  
"Aunt Mwia!" Hannah shouted.  
  
"Hello, Hannah." Maria greeted back. "Liz. I would like you to meet our friend, Serena."  
  
Liz stood up to greet the new girl. Hannah tossed her bottle behind the chair and followed Alex into the back.  
  
"Hello." Liz smiled warmly.  
  
"Hello." Serena greeted. She had a slight southern accent to it. The girl was taller than her and had strawberry blonde hair. Light freckles dusted across her nose and she had bright green eyes.  
  
"That was my daughter, Hannah, she likes to be wherever Alex is." Liz chuckled.  
  
"Yeah, I understand her feelings." Serena nodded. "He's a fun guy to be around."  
  
"Hannah thinks so."  
  
"You enjoy the apartment?" Serena asked.  
  
"Yeah. What are you doing now?" Liz asked.  
  
"I'm actually attending Berkeley so I had to move out of here. I'm glad you moved in."  
  
"Liz?" Maria called from the kitchen. "Serena's gonna stay for dinner so I'm gonna go ahead and start?"  
  
"Fine, Kyle's coming over too. He's gonna stop by before he has to go to work."  
  
Serena froze. "Kyle?"  
  
Maria walked into the front room. "Kyle and Serena don't exactly get along very well."  
  
"Oh." Liz looked down. "Kyle can come over another night then."  
  
"No, no, I think we can get along just fine. It'll only be an hour at the most. What time is he coming?"  
  
"Any minute." Liz said when there was a knock on the door. "Come in."  
  
Kyle opened the door. "Hey, Liz. Where's Hannah?"  
  
"It's all about Hannah isn't it?" Liz put her hands on her hips. "She's in the back room with Alex."  
  
Kyle's brows set. "With Alex?"  
  
"With Alex." Liz affirmed before hugging him. Kyle had become a really close friend to Liz over the past few months. She was actually wondering if it was turning into a little something more.  
  
Kyle hugged her back and held her a little longer than was necessary. He straightened and looked to the kitchen where Maria was mumbling to someone.  
  
"What are you doing little sister?" He asked in French.  
  
"Hello to you to, brother." She said back. "Why don't we go out into the front room for a while?" She said glancing over her shoulder.  
  
"Why?" He asked before his eyes landed on Serena. He stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh."  
  
He hung his head low and went to find Liz and Hannah.  
  
"Maria, maybe I shouldn't be here." Serena said feeling uncomfortable. "I can eat somewhere else tonight and come back." She began to pick up her purse and gather her other things.  
  
"No, stay, he'll leave in little more than an hour." Maria encouraged. "Just stay with me in the kitchen." Maria dragged her back.  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Tile!" Hannah said pleased at seeing Kyle.  
  
"Hello, Han." Kyle bent down to scoop her up in his arms.  
  
Kyle walked out to the front of the apartment where Liz was searching behind the couch for something.  
  
"What are you doing?" He asked coming up behind her.  
  
"Searching for her bottle. She threw it back here when she ran after Alex." She mumbled before pulling out a bottle.  
  
Kyle mumbled something about it not being fair Alex got to see her more, and in result, liked him better  
  
Hannah smiled when she saw the bottle in her mother's hands and reached for it.  
  
Liz handed it to her daughter before kissing her forehead.  
  
Kyle settled in the chair with Hannah facing the TV.  
  
"She's not as hyper as she once was. Before she wouldn't have just smiled, we would have had to hear a lot of squeals and giggles." Kyle said.  
  
"Yeah, I called the doctor about it. He wants to see her Thursday."  
  
"You want me to go?" Kyle asked.  
  
"Please? I think it's getting pretty close to surgery. I don't think the medicine is working well at all." Liz said quietly.  
  
"It'll be ok." He reached across where they were sitting.  
  
"I know." She said quietly comforted by his confidence in the doctors. "Thank you."  
  
Serena watched quietly from the kitchen. Her heart ached at the sight of the three of them. Hannah so at ease, Liz so comforted, Kyle, so happy. Wiping away stray tears, she pushed herself away from their private moment to join Maria in the kitchen.  
  
****  
  
Max leafed through the law book frustrated, not able to find the right phase to put in his paper. "Max, you always work too hard." The sultry voice filled his ears.  
  
"Hello, Tess." He greeted her not bothering to look up from his paper.  
  
"Why don't you take a break, we go out for a while?" She asked.  
  
"Can't, I have to finish this." He said.  
  
"That's not due till next week." She told him.  
  
"Yeah, I wanna finish it now so I can study."  
  
"Come on, Max." She pouted. At last he looked up.  
  
"Fine. Just for a few hours." He stood up reluctantly. For once forgetting about his schoolwork.  
  
****  
  
"Max Evans what is this?" Isabel stormed angrily into his room.  
  
"Hmm?" He mumbled from under his pillow, he checked his alarm clock. It was the first class he had missed his whole college career.  
  
"Get yourself out of that bed, right now!" She screeched.  
  
"Isabel, hush." He said pulling himself into a sitting position.  
  
"No, I will not, how could you do this to them? Tess Harding, Max?" She ranted. "Max, you know that girl's reputation."  
  
"I know, I'm sorry, Is." He studied his hands.  
  
"Sorry is not going to cut it. Max." She stomped her foot. "I'm all for you relaxing a bit, but remember, Max, you have a year old daughter out there somewhere. Waiting for you to come as her knight in shining armor." She slammed the door angrily.  
  
Kicking himself, Max showers before heading back to his law books. On it, he found a note. "Dear Max," I reads, "I had a wonderful time last night, maybe we can do it again sometime." Right above where the letter was sitting, was a picture of little Hannah.  
  
He hadn't gotten any more pictures. He had no idea what his daughter looked like.  
  
Again, kicking himself, he finished his paper.  
  
****  
  
The dinner was quiet interrupted with Hannah's loud chatter. It wasn't non- stop as it had once been. Now she stopped to catch her breath before she started up again.  
  
Kyle sat opposite Serena. Liz visibly felt the tension in the room. Alex tried to keep up a lively conversation with Maria's help.  
  
"I have to go now." Kyle scooted up from the chair.  
  
Liz followed him to the door. "Thank you for staying. I'll try not to let that happen again." Liz said at the door.  
  
"It's ok, you didn't know." He leaned down and gave her a light peck on the lips before affectionately giving Hannah one on the top of her forehead.  
  
"Bye, Tile!" She called after him.  
  
"Bye, Hannah, Liz." He nodded. He looked across Liz's head at Serena. They exchanged silent words and he closed the door behind him. 


	13. Surgeries and Scary Movies

Liz sat in the prep room holding Hannah in her lap.  
  
It didn't work, and the medicines had failed. Although they moderately healed the holes, they were there and they were making themselves very apparent. She was going in for surgery in an hour.  
  
Hannah sat with her face pushed into her mother's warm chest. She whined softly in hunger. She had to fast for the past twelve hours and it wasn't sitting well with her.  
  
Liz stroked her hair trying to comfort her, hoping the doctor would come with the anesthetics.  
  
There was a knock on the door.  
  
"Come in." Liz called.  
  
Hannah shifted closer to her mother. The week had been filled with testing and prodding and shots and all sorts of medical procedures for the young girl. Whenever a doctor was in the room she would cower into Liz and allow them to do whatever they needed to do.  
  
"Hey, girls." It was Kyle.  
  
"Kyle, what are you doing in here, you're supposed to scrub for this." Liz asked with her eyebrows raised.  
  
"I can't. I know her too well, it's not good when a doctor is too familiar with his patients."  
  
Hannah peeked at Kyle from where her face was hidden.  
  
"Bonjour, mon papillon." He said to her. My Butterfly.  
  
"Bonjour, Tile." She greeted with a small smile.  
  
"Why, Kyle, I'd feel better if you did." Liz said starting to panic.  
  
"Liz, if I won't feel comfortable being in there I won't be very helpful. I'll stay out here. This is a really good doctor that's doing the operation, I wouldn't accept anything else for her. Trust me."  
  
The MA knocked and entered the room. Hannah looked at her with dread and sniffled against Liz but held her arm out dutifully as Liz rubbed her back to calm her down.  
  
She flinched when the small point penetrated her sensitive skin. The MA finished quickly and left the room.  
  
Liz shifted her. "Alright, Hannah, all done. Go night-night now." Liz tried to lull her to sleep.  
  
Within minutes her eyes were closed and she was oblivious to the world around her.  
  
Handing her over to the doctors Liz retreated into Kyle's arms. "I trust you." She whispered as they whisked her baby away.  
  
****  
  
Isabel sat curled up in her brother's protective side during a scary movie.  
  
"Why do you always watch these?" He teased. It was his break between semesters and he could relax the few weeks he had off. He liked relaxing with his sister.  
  
"It's an excuse to curl up with my big brother." She smiled at him and hid her face when blood splattered across the screen.  
  
The telephone rang.  
  
"Leave it." Isabel clutched on to him and stared at the phone. The phone in the movie rang as well.  
  
"It could be Mom or Dad." Max reached for it.  
  
"It could be a serial killer, no, let the machine get it." She grabbed his hand.  
  
"Fine." He relaxed back against the couch. Isabel wrapped herself in his warm embrace when the answering machine beeped.  
  
[I] Hello, this is Tess. I just wanted to let Max know that I had a great time last night, again. I was thinking we should do it more often, on a permanent basis. Call me back, you have my number, Max. Bye. [/I]  
  
Isabel pushed away from him, her eyes flashing with anger. "What was that about?"  
  
"I went out with Tess last night, that's it."  
  
"Again?" She spat.  
  
"Only as friends, Izzy. I didn't do anything. I will never do anything, you should know that." Max said standing up.  
  
"You better know that, Max." She emphasized.  
  
"Isabel, I've put my life on hold. You obviously know where they are, how they're doing. I know nothing. I can't do that."  
  
"Max, when you have a kid, you no longer have a life of your own."  
  
"That goes for people who live with their kids, who know where the mother of their kid is!" He said angrily.  
  
"Actually, Max, I have no idea where they are. She always calls me. She doesn't want me to have to lie to you about where they are." Isabel admitted. She actually knew very little about what was going on with them.  
  
"Oh." He muttered to himself. Max shut off the TV and went to his own room. He lies quietly thinking. Half an hour later he heard the door creak open. "What do you want, Is?"  
  
"I'm scared, Max. I don't think that movie agreed with my imagination." She said.  
  
"Come on." He held his covers open in invitation.  
  
"I'm sorry, Max." She apologized before slipping under the covers.  
  
"It's alright, Isabel. I understand." He said quietly and Isabel curled into his side as she had done when they were children.  
  
Isabel coming into his room reminded him of something else. A short brunette-haired girl. Big curious eyes, his own ears, and her mother's perfect hair. He could feel her tiny body coming to him in search of protection. His heart ached at the want of it. He was tempted to find her. To just look her up. But he knew that he couldn't do that. He had to have something to take to them before he did that.  
  
He could not show up empty handed.  
  
****  
  
Liz sighed and rested her head against Kyle's shoulder.  
  
"You Ok?" He asked, drawing his arm around her. Before when she had once stiffened and shirked his touch, she now accepted it readily.  
  
She nodded and closed her eyes.  
  
"It's almost done now, Liz. Not much longer." He said and rubbed her hair.  
  
"I know." She said still not opening her eyes.  
  
Her heart was in her throat the entire time Hannah was in surgery.  
  
"She'll be fine." He whispered in French.  
  
She understood more now that Kyle had given her books he had used when he was little and learning.  
  
Liz smiled at him before letting her head rest on his shoulder again.  
  
This time her eyes were open and she focused on his one hand that was resting on his pants.  
  
She carefully slid her hand down until it covered his. He flipped it over and his fingers laced through hers.  
  
She looked up at him and he smiled down at her. Carefully he dropped a kiss down to her lips. Liz responded with all the fear she had been holding in her.  
  
She pulled back tears running down her eyes.  
  
"Liz, I'm sorry." He said not knowing what he had done wrong.  
  
"No, no, it's alright, Kyle." She assured him.  
  
"Are you sure?" He asked pushing her hair back from her face.  
  
"Yes." She nodded.  
  
"Come here." He brought her closer to where she was completely resting against him.  
  
"Thank you, Kyle." She said quietly before bringing their joined hands up and placing a small kiss on his.  
  
Kyle smiled and relaxed against the stiff waiting room chair. Li z adjusted herself to fit Kyle's new position.  
  
Liz fell asleep and woke to the doctor walking towards her with a smile on his face.  
  
****  
  
Once again Hannah was settled in Liz's lap watching Hannah's Baby Einstein video.  
  
Hannah hadn't said or done much in the week that she had been home. She either sat in Liz's lap or was in Liz 's arms, or was at Liz's feet, or in Liz's bed.  
  
Hannah coughed slightly trying not to hurt the stitches in her chest.  
  
"Mommy." She murmured in pain.  
  
"It's ok, Sweetie." Liz stroked her hair.  
  
"She gonna be ok?" Alex looked up concerned.  
  
"Yeah." Liz nodded.  
  
"Come to Uncle Alex?" He held his hands up.  
  
"No." She turned and held on to Liz.  
  
Alex turned a hurt look back to the computer screen. "Don't take it personally, Alex." Liz tried to repair the damage.  
  
"Don't worry, I will." He said not looking up.  
  
"Look what followed me home from work." Maria said happily.  
  
Liz looked up and saw Kyle throw her a dirty look. "Can we keep it?"  
  
Liz asked playfully as he walked over and kissed her softly on the lips.  
  
"I don't think so, Liz, it might have rabies." Alex said turning around.  
  
"Be quiet." Kyle said sitting next to Hannah and Liz on the couch.  
  
"Mon Papillon." He said and brought her to his lap where she sat happily.  
  
"Sure, Liz, I won't take it personally." Alex glared at Kyle.  
  
"Eighteen months and she's already a hit with the guys, I'm gonna have to teach her a few tricks or two." Maria laughed as she left the room.  
  
[b]TBC[/b] 


	14. Isabel and Hannah

Chapter 14  
  
Liz pushed her tired feet into her sneakers and slipped tied the laces tight so she wouldn't trip while working.  
  
"Come play wif, Mommy." Hannah asked crawling onto the bed.  
  
"No, Hannah bean. I have to go to work." Liz apologized and stroked her three-year-old's hair from her face.  
  
"You just got back, Mommy." Hannah pouted.  
  
"I know, Hannah." Liz said sympathetically. Time Out for Parents had all but gone out. She was now on her own to pay hospital and daycare bills.  
  
"I'm going to Gwama Amy's?" She asked.  
  
Amy Valenti took care of Hannah when Liz worked three days of the week. Hannah attended daycare Wednesdays and Fridays, and on those days, Liz worked evenings, leaving Mrs. Valenti to baby-sit again.  
  
"I always go." She said going to get her pack together.  
  
"I know, but Mommy will be home with you tomorrow night." Liz promised.  
  
"Realdy?" She asked excitedly.  
  
"Yes." Liz said.  
  
"Can we play Clifford?" Hannah asked about her favorite board game.  
  
"We can play what ever you want, Hannah bean." Liz promised with a smile.  
  
Hannah let out an excited whoop and ran to get her things. "Is Kyle gonna be there?" She had long since learned the correct pronunciation of his name.  
  
"Yes." Liz smiled.  
  
On top of paying for daycare and small medical bills, she moved into an apartment across the hall from Maria and Alex to allow more independence.  
  
"Ready, Hannah bean?" Liz asked.  
  
"Yes, Mommy. Is Grandpa Jim gonna be there too?"  
  
"Always." Liz said as she held the door open for her little girl to walk through.  
  
****  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this, Max?" Phillip Evans eyed his son with reluctant pride and admiration.  
  
What it normally took a kid four years to accomplish, Max had done in three.  
  
He knew why Max had wanted to start a branch in Los Angeles.  
  
"Yes, Dad. I'm already not going to make my goal, please don't make it any later."  
  
"What was your goal, son?" He asked curiously.  
  
"November 4." He said quietly.  
  
"You're going to California to find them aren't you?" Phillip asked.  
  
Max sat there staring at his hands, unable to deny the fact.  
  
"Max, do you know what you're doing?" He looked at his son concerned.  
  
"Yes, Dad." He nodded and looked him straight in the eye.  
  
"Well, it wouldn't hurt to start a branch in Orange County." Phillip straightened.  
  
"Why not LA?"  
  
"Because LA is not where Hannah and Elizabeth are. They're in Orange County Max." He said casually.  
  
"And you would know this how?" Max crossed his arms.  
  
"I've always known. I've been keeping tabs on her for a while soon as I figured out what you were planning on doing." He smiled.  
  
"How long?" Max asked.  
  
"A little over six months. Your mother hinted to me and so I found them." He looked pleased with himself. "They're in Yorba Linda, California."  
  
"Thank you, Dad." Max smiled. "Are you going to go with me?"  
  
"Yes." Phillip answered. "All of us. Including your mother and Isabel."  
  
"Are you moving out there permanently?" He asked.  
  
"No, just until we get you on your feet, and by that time Isabel will be done with schooling and she can stay there and help you." He said proudly.  
  
"That's great." Max shrugged. "When do we leave."  
  
"Next week." Phillip said. "Isabel has to transfer and then we'll be on our way."  
  
"Thank you, Dad." Max said once more before standing.  
  
"Sit down, Max." His father directed before he could exit.  
  
Max sat automatically. He had 21 years of training to know not to disappoint his father.  
  
"I know, son, how much these three years have torn at you. You were unable to have a normal college experience or a normal young adulthood. Then again, you weren't going to have a normal life if you had kept your child. I'm sorry, Max, for what you went through, not knowing what kind of life your daughter is going through." He straightened. "I don't know what I would have done if I didn't know where you or Izzy went. Max, I'm proud of you. How you kept your head on straight. I'm proud, Max I am. I hope you find Hannah."  
  
Max nodded at his father and left the room.  
  
It's not finding Hannah that will be the hard thing. Getting Liz to trust him would be unbelievably difficult.  
  
****  
  
"Come to bed now, Hannah." Amy Valenti called.  
  
"I hafta wait for Mommy." Hannah protested.  
  
"Your Mommy will come and get you when she's done with work." She said. "Say goodnight to Grandpa Jim."  
  
"No!" She protested. "I want Mommy!"  
  
"No, Hannah, Mommy will come and pick you up, but only if you go to sleep." Amy coaxed.  
  
"Come on, Hannah." Kyle said hearing the commotion. It was the same argument every night. Hannah didn't want to sleep until Liz came to get her.  
  
"Kyle, I hafta wait for Mommy." She pleaded.  
  
"Alright, we'll wait for Mommy in my room, ok?" He asked.  
  
She nodded. "Night Gwampa Jim and Gwama Amy." She waved back.  
  
"Why do you always fight, papillon?" Kyle asked while laying her down in his bed.  
  
"I hafta wait for Mommy." She said as if it were obvious.  
  
"You'll wait for Mommy here. Now, would you like to read a book?" He asked.  
  
"Yes, ask Gwama Amy." Hannah said sitting up again.  
  
Kyle returned quickly holding the book in his hands. She clapped her hands and snuggled into his side as he opened the book.  
  
Five minutes later she was sleeping.  
  
Liz walked into the room quietly, not wanting to disturb the sleeping Kyle and Hannah.  
  
Liz loved watching Hanna sleep. In sleep, it was easy to see Max in Hannah. Liz had finally cut the girl's hair when Hannah refused to let her brush it. As she had suspected it fell straight now. Almost exactly the same as hers only with Max's dark hue.  
  
Liz reached out a gentle hand and brushed Hannah's hair out of her face. Even though it was October, in California, it meant hotter than summer when the Santa Ana Winds rolled around. The hair stuck to her face unexpectedly. Hannah shifted and Liz stood back making sure she wouldn't wake her.  
  
Kyle came in behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "She wants you to wake her up, she thinks she has to wait for you before she can sleep."  
  
"I know, Amy was telling me that." Liz smiled and leaned her head back on him. "I have to take her home."  
  
"I'll follow you in my car." He said quickly.  
  
"No, Kyle, you have your final test tomorrow, you need to sleep as well. I'll remove her so you can go to bed. Thanks for sharing." She said in a voice she used only for Hannah when reprimanding her.  
  
"Alright." He gave in knowing there would be no arguing with her. She had picked that up from Amy and Maria who had in turn given the same spark to Hannah. Luckily, Hannah was still young enough where you could be reasonable with her but she was learning quickly not to give in.  
  
"Can I carry her to the car for you?" He asked looking very much like a little boy.  
  
"Yes." She nodded and walked behind him as he carefully set her in the car.  
  
"Call me when you get home, alright?" He ordered.  
  
"I will. Goodnight, Kyle." Liz said before starting the car and heading home.  
  
****  
  
Max stepped into the townhouse his parents were renting while they set up the business.  
  
"Must you always stand in doorways, Max?" Isabel pushed through.  
  
"Only because it bugs you." He shrugged and moved from the doorway so his parents could enter.  
  
"Max, take your dog." Isabel comes back into the room. "It's in my room, again."  
  
"She is not an it, her name is Ella after you, and she obviously loves her namesake." He said quiet offended by her rejection.  
  
"Thrilled as I am about having a dog named after me, Max, keep IT out of my room. Thank you." She turned and returned to her room.  
  
"Gosh, I still like you, Ella." He comforted the dog that was anxious to get out of his arms and explore her new surroundings.  
  
It had been a spur of a moment purpose. He had gone to pound, for what he would never know. He saw the two-year old puppy sitting quietly in the back of the cage, and he had to have her. She was a mix of everything. There was no telling what she was.  
  
Isabel shut the door firmly to her room and answered her cell  
  
Isabel?" Liz's voice came across the line.  
  
"Hey, Liz." Isabel said quietly into the phone incase her brother decided to follow her.  
  
"How are you doing?" Liz asked quietly. "Hannah's asleep."  
  
"Good, Liz, I'm glad you called. I got the new right after I hung up with you last Tuesday."  
  
"What's wrong, Isabel?" Liz asked her voice sounding worried.  
  
"Liz, we're in California."  
  
"We, meaning." She hinted.  
  
"My parents, me, and Max."  
  
"Where?" Liz closes her eyes and leaned her head on her table.  
  
"Anaheim Hills."  
  
There was nothing but silence on the other side of the line.  
  
"Liz?" Isabel called softly.  
  
"My God, Isabel. I don't even know what to say." Liz took a deep breathe.  
  
"I know, where are you at?"  
  
"Yorba Linda, just a freeway overpass away from Anaheim Hills."  
  
Anaheim Hills was the rich part of Anaheim. Orange stood as a divider between the two but are considered the same city.  
  
"Does he know that?" Liz asked.  
  
"Yes." Isabel said. "Liz, he's going to try to find you. I've been pushing him to do his best in law school and he finished in three years, Liz. I know it might be hard to forgive him, and I'm not asking you to, I just want you to know, Liz, he worked himself hard to make a good life."  
  
"Isabel, don't." Liz asked quietly. She glanced over at Hannah who was now awake. She was staring straight at Liz. Not moving, just staring into space with a thumb in her mouth. "She's awake."  
  
"Liz, I know it's a lot, but, can I meet her? It would meet a lot to me, if I could just meet her once, she doesn't even have to know who I am." Isabel pleaded.  
  
"Of course, Isabel." Liz said without hesitation. "I wanted you to come out after she was born, but I didn't want you to know where we were in case he asked." Liz said, never using his name.  
  
"I know." Isabel acknowledged. "When can I meet her?"  
  
"Um."  
  
"Wait just a sec, Liz, the dog is at the door."  
  
"Dog?" She asked curiously. "When did you get a dog."  
  
"We didn't, my stupid brother did. Two days ago. Her name is Ella, after me, isn't that sweet of him." Isabel said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.  
  
"What kind?" She asked.  
  
"No one knows." Isabel said as she let the dog in her bedroom door. She really had a soft spot for her but she didn't want Max to know.  
  
"How cute. But I think tomorrow will be good, I don't have to work tomorrow evening. Hannah will be thrilled to go out." Liz smiled.  
  
"I talk, Mommy?" Isabel heard Hannah ask.  
  
"Can she say hi?" Liz asked, not wanting to deny Hannah.  
  
"Of course." Isabel said excitedly. Usually Liz only called if she was asleep or with someone.  
  
"Hedo?" Hannah asked into the phone.  
  
"Hello, Hannah?" Isabel said softly back. Her voice was so high and sweet.  
  
"Who dis?" She asked.  
  
"I'm Isabel."  
  
"Mommy, who's Isabel?" She asked looking at Liz.  
  
"She's your aunt."  
  
"Like Aunt Mwia?"  
  
"Almost." Liz wasn't going to tell her Isabel was her real aunt.  
  
"Hi, Aunt Isabel." She said into the phone. Now that she 'knew' who she was speaking to she would speak freely. "I'm Hannah. Mommy said I go to park tomorrow."  
  
"Yes, we're going to the park tomorrow." Isabel affirmed. "Are you excited?"  
  
"Les." All her Y's sounded like L's "Wait, Mommy's sayin' somefing. Wha?" She turned to Liz. "Mommy says I hafta go now, we goin' to Gwama Amy's, so Mommy can work. We gonna see Kyle." She said excitedly.  
  
"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow." Isabel said before she heard them shifting the phone.  
  
"We gotta run, Isabel. I'll talk to you tomorrow at the Yorba Linda park, yes?"  
  
"Alright, see you tomorrow." Isabel snapped off the phone and picked the dog up onto her bed. [/I]  
  
"What are we going to do, Ella?" ****  
  
Isabel sat nervously in the park not sure where to find Liz. She arrived early hoping Liz would find her. She had brought Ella along just because.  
  
"Hey." She heard from behind her.  
  
"Liz!" Isabel stood up quickly. She hadn't seen her best friend in three years. Isabel studied her, she was still the same, except her eyes looked older.  
  
"This is Hannah." Liz introduced.  
  
The girl was a small version of Liz except anyone who knew Max, knew this was his child. Isabel gasped.  
  
"I know, she looks like him." Liz said quietly.  
  
"Yes, she does." Isabel squatted down in front of her. "But she's beautiful, Liz."  
  
"Thank you." Liz said and rubbed her hair. Hannah was leaning completely on her.  
  
Hannah stared. "We have de same eyes."  
  
Isabel looked up at Liz. "Yes, we do." She said through a constricted throat. "I'm your Aunt Isabel."  
  
"I talked lesterday." Hannah said.  
  
"Yes. Can I hug you?" Isabel asked.  
  
"Les, Aunt Mwia don't ask." Hannah said and threw her arms around Isabel.  
  
Isabel hugged her small body to her. She held on for a while but Hannah seemed to sense something was different. She let her hold on for as long as she needed and rested her head on her shoulder.  
  
"Who dat?" Hannah asked when she let go.  
  
"That's our dog, her name is Ella." Isabel pulled the dog over.  
  
"Elda, come here." She said and gently petted the dog. "I like her."  
  
"She likes you too."  
  
Isabel smiled and relaxed. She was more comfortable around the small girl. Maybe she could get to know her niece better over the many years to come. 


	15. Coming home

Chapter 15  
  
"Hello, Liz." Kyle smiled when she answered the door.  
  
"Kyle." She smiled back. "Come on in." She turned and walked back into the front room.  
  
"Where's, mon papillon?" He asked looking around.  
  
"Alex decided to steal her while you weren't around. They took her out." Liz smiled. "She was full of energy when she woke up and argued about everything. She didn't want her hair a certain way or she didn't want that outfit. You know how she gets."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Luckily, Serena's staying over so I didn't have to deal with it before Serena gracefully took over."  
  
Kyle's face changed. "Serena's staying here?"  
  
"Yes." Liz wondered briefly why he cared. Serena and Kyle hadn't gotten along real well in the past few years and apparently never had, according to Maria. "I offered to have her stay here. Alex has the whole third bedroom over there turned into a computer room with his gadgets and things. I have Hannah's room and she refused to sleep in her bed, so why not?"  
  
"Yeah." He said quietly. "How long is she going to be here?"  
  
"Couple of weeks."  
  
"Weeks?"  
  
"Yes, Kyle, possibly months. She's in a row with her parents again and she's done with schooling." She studied his reaction carefully. "Kyle, is there anything you want to share with me?"  
  
He looked at her; his eyes tired, hurt. "No, Liz."  
  
"Are you sure?" She tilted her head and studied him.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure."  
  
"Because I do have that Mommy sixth sense thing." She smiled.  
  
"I know, and a very good one at that." He pulled her close and rested his cheek on her hair.  
  
"Thank you." She whispered. It was one of her biggest insecurities. What if Max didn't approve of the way she had raised her? What if she wasn't doing anything right? She could be messing up a little girl's entire life.  
  
"You're doing a good job, Liz." Kyle said reassuring her. "Mon Papillon is going to be a good little girl and an incredible woman, like her mother."  
  
She sighed and moved out of the room, knowing something was still wrong with him. She had learned that if he wasn't going to talk about it, he wasn't going to talk about until his own time. She turned on a movie and curled on the couch. He automatically sat down next to her and she moved to his side. Almost a perfect fit. Almost, Max had been a perfect fit.  
  
It had been four years and she still hasn't gotten over him. As great as Kyle was, Max was it for her and she knew it. Deep within her. She knew that if he showed up at her front step at that moment she couldn't stay mad at him. She'd let him back in. Into her baby's life, into hers. The thought frightened her and angered her. Max hadn't loved her in that way. He had easily let them slip from his hands, his arms. She was comfortable in Kyle's arms, but not safe. She didn't feel the quiet strength that had radiated from him, even as a teenager. She hated herself for comparing the two. She knew no matter how hard she twisted it, Kyle would never be Max. No one could be Max.  
  
Hannah, her baby, had already began to show the same quiet strength and determination. It didn't help that she spent most of her time with Amy Valenti and her daughter. They both had a stubborn streak that was leaking into her. If it hadn't been for Serena this morning, Hannah would have gone out without her hair being combed. She was quiet and liked to read. That much she got from her. She got most of her looks from her, but most of her personality, that as Max.  
  
Liz let her mind rest as she began to drift off into sleep, something she hadn't gotten since Hannah had crawled into bed with her. Hannah always snuggled close but unfortunately for Liz, she kicked in her sleep.  
  
Liz opened her eyes when she heard the front door open nearly two hours later.  
  
"Hi, Mommy." Hannah ran in the house.  
  
"Hello, Hannah bean, did you have fun with Serena and Uncle Alex?" She asked when she pushed herself into the space between her and Kyle on the couch where they were watching a movie.  
  
"Les." She said scooted back catching Kyle in the stomach.  
  
Kyle caught his breath at the sharp little elbow and let it out fast when Serena walked in the door Alex a step behind.  
  
"Sorry, Liz, she ran ahead of us." Serena said breathlessly.  
  
"I win." She said hopping off the couch and holding her arms up to Alex.  
  
She was tiny still, the size of a small three year old. Her heart condition made it hard for her body to keep up with the amount of oxygen that it could keep in her body, stunting her growth. Although the doctor said she was perfectly healthy and could go on with her normal way of life and she would grow with time, Liz wasn't seeing it.  
  
"Yes you win." Alex said with a grin.  
  
"Canny?" She held out her hand.  
  
"Yes, you can have your candy." Alex removed the tootsie roll from his back pocket.  
  
"Alex, she hasn't had lunch yet." Liz chided standing up. "Would you like to join us, I'll make grilled cheese."  
  
Up to this point Serena had been silently observing Kyle. "No, Liz, I'll go see what Maria's doing."  
  
"Maria's with her mother today, you know that, sit." She said looking at the table.  
  
Serena sat in the chair and leaned her legs against the table.  
  
Liz moved around the kitchen watching her. Kyle and Alex were arguing with Hannah about where she wanted to sit.  
  
"Are you alright, Serena?" Liz asked sitting next to her when the sandwiches were cooking.  
  
"Yes." She said quietly. Then a quiet "no."  
  
"What's wrong?" Liz asked immediately concerned.  
  
Serena just looked at Liz. "I'd rather not talk about it."  
  
"Are you sure?" She went into mother mode.  
  
"Yes." She stood up. "I think I'm going to lay down for a while."  
  
"Do you want a sandwich?"  
  
"Save one for me later?" She asked.  
  
"Sure." Liz smiled.  
  
An hour later, after everyone had left, and Hannah was down for a nap, Liz went in to check on Serena.  
  
"Hey, I warmed up your sandwich for you." Liz sat on the bed next to Serena.  
  
"I don't want it right now." Serena said.  
  
"What's wrong?" Liz asked. "Hannah's down, I have all the time in the world."  
  
"It's nothing, Liz. Just a simple breakup. I really should be over it." Serena sat up.  
  
"I wasn't even aware you were seeing anyone." Liz raised her eyebrows.  
  
"I wasn't, haven't for a while." She said and rested her head on Liz's lap.  
  
"Well, was he important to you?" Liz asked.  
  
"Extremely." Serena nodded.  
  
"Why can't you go back to him then?"  
  
"There's another woman." Serena rested her head. "And she's really nice, so I can't hate her."  
  
"Oh." Liz sat stroking Serena's hair. "Are you going to Hannah's graduation tonight?"  
  
"Of course!" Serena said quickly. "I wouldn't miss it. She talked about it the entire time we were gone."  
  
"I'm glad." Liz said smiling. "I think Isabel's going to try to come." Liz said absently.  
  
"Isabel, her Aunt Isabel?"  
  
"Yeah. She's been really supportive and Hannah adores her." Liz paused when she heard a quick call from Hannah.  
  
"Go ahead. We have to start getting her ready anyway." Serena sat up.  
  
"Mommy!" Hannah stomped into the room.  
  
"Yes, Hannah?" Liz stood up from the bed.  
  
"Can we go?" She asked tilting her head to side in a move that was every bit Liz.  
  
"No." Liz answered calmly.  
  
"But, Mommy you said." Hannah began to pout.  
  
"I know what I said, Hannah. First you have to take a bath, then we'll curl your hair, then we'll put on your pretty new dress that Grandma Amy made for you, then we can put on stockings and you're new shoes. Then Kyle will come and pick us up. THEN we can go." Hannah seemed pleased with getting to dress up. "Alright." She let her hands fall. "Now?"  
  
"Yes now. Come on, Hannah."  
  
****  
  
Kyle stood in his room straightening his suit jacket. The ring burned in his pocket. He'd had it for quite some time now. He just didn't know when to do it. Tonight, he thought. When he went to take her home.  
  
"Kyle, are you alright?" Amy asked. She noticed when her stepson looked nervous.  
  
She had adopted Kyle as her own when she and his father, Jim, had gotten married when he and Maria were five.  
  
"I'm gonna do it tonight, Mom." He said shyly.  
  
"Are you sure you're ready for this, Honey?" She asked with a smile.  
  
"Yes. I have a great job, I love her, I love Hannah, Mom, and I think I'm ready for this." He said with a confident smile.  
  
"Alright if you feel you're ready, then good luck." She leaned on her tiptoes to kiss his forehead as she had done when he was a child.  
  
"Thank you, Mom, I have to go pick them up now."  
  
****  
  
Max stood in front of the door nervously. He knew that it was the right address; he had done all the research necessary to make sure that was correct.  
  
He pulled his hands out of his pocket and reached for the doorbell.  
  
****  
  
"Hannah, go let Kyle in please." Liz said while she finished curling her own hair.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because, he's coming to pick us up and go to the daycare center." Liz said looking at her daughter to make sure she would listen.  
  
"Fine." She ran to the door, her little heels clicking on the tile floor.  
  
****  
  
Max stared at the door as it creaked open.  
  
"Who you?" The tiny girl asked.  
  
Max stared at the little girl and immediately knew who she was. His mouth went dry. She had dark brown hair. Staring at her eyes was like looking in a mirror. Her ears were certainly his. Everything else, as he had suspected, was her mother's.  
  
She was wearing a red dress with the tiny black patent leather shoes that all little girls have. Her hair was pulled back into a half ponytail with a red ribbon and curled at the ends.  
  
"Hannah, why don't you let him in?" Liz asked.  
  
Hannah looked at her mother and backed up away from the door. Liz finished putting her ear ring on before she pulled the door open wider.  
  
"We're ready, Hannah, get your things." she said before looking up.  
  
Max collected himself and got his brain to function after seeing her for the first time in four years. "Liz?"  
  
Liz froze. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew this was going to happen Isabel had warned her.  
  
"Max." She whispered and turned around. 


	16. Phone Calls

A/N: I went back and was rereading the story. I just noticed that I make adoption sound like a bad thing or I look down on it, when in reality I actually think quite the opposite. I'm adopted myself so I think it's a wonderful thing. I just portray it as a way most teen mothers feel or go through when deciding what to do with an unplanned pregnancy.  
  
Also, Max isn't going to get it as easy as he thinks he is, Liz is a lot stronger than she gives herself credit for. Remember, she's no longer the seventeen-year-old daughter of Nancy and Jeff Parker, one of the richest families in town, she's now the twenty three year old mother of a four year old little girl of her own. So don't worry, it's not all going to fall into place as it's supposed to.  
  
[b]Chapter 16[/b]  
  
Liz turned around slowly and studied him.  
  
He grew a few inches taller; his hair still fell in the same way. He was dressed casually although his stance was anything but. He stood with his hands in his pocket his head tucked down, like Hannah did when she wasn't sure about something.  
  
"Hannah bean, go downstairs and wait for Kyle please." Liz told her daughter without taking her eyes from Max.  
  
Both held their gaze steady. Max wanted to get a look at his little girl again but Liz was blocking his view. She was running around somewhere in the apartment.  
  
"Hannah, hurry, and tell Kyle to come up." Liz said.  
  
"Alright." She slid by her father, unknowingly, and held tightly to the railing that led down to the parking lot where Kyle was to pick her up.  
  
"Stay by the stairs Hannah and don't move."  
  
"What are you doing here, Max?" Liz asked setting her purse down.  
  
"I came to see you." He said simply.  
  
Liz was grateful that Serena had gone ahead with Alex and Maria and had already gone down to church. All the lights in their apartment were out and she was silently happy that they wouldn't come out and see him here.  
  
"You came to see me. After four years, you came to see me?" Liz asked to clarify.  
  
Max flinched. It just sounded wrong. "It's not like that, Liz." He said quietly. How was he going to explain it?  
  
"Max, you can't just show up on my doorstep some Saturday night. You've not tried to find me in the past four years; you could have at least called before showing up. Now I'm going to have to explain to my daughter who you are."  
  
"Our daughter." He said quietly.  
  
"No, Max. Until this moment you have not been a part of her life. You wanted to send her off to be adopted. Right now, she is not our daughter, she is very much, my daughter." Liz said firmly.  
  
Max looked at her shocked at strong she had become.  
  
"Kyle!" Hannah said excitedly.  
  
"Hannah?" Liz called.  
  
"She's here, Liz, what's up?" Kyle said stepping onto the second floor. "You ready to go?"  
  
"Yes, Kyle, I am." Liz nodded.  
  
"Who's this?" He said putting Hannah down.  
  
"Kyle, this is Max, Max, this is Kyle." She introduced.  
  
"Max? As in Max?" He asked.  
  
Liz nodded looking from Hannah to Max to Kyle. Her brain, her heart, her soul, was confused beyond help.  
  
"Max?" Hannah asked hanging onto Kyle's hand.  
  
"I'll explain later. Kyle, I'll meet you down by the car ok? Just give me a second." She looked at him. "Take her with."  
  
Liz watched as they disappeared down the steps.  
  
"So he knows about me, are you seeing him?"  
  
"Yes, and it's not really your business." Liz raised her chin daring him to challenge her. "Max, we have her graduation ceremony to go to. Hannah's going to start Kindergarten in the fall, we're all going down there for the little party that they have for the four year olds. We're going to be late if I don't leave."  
  
"Oh, ok." He said not knowing what to say. "Here's my number." He gave it to her. "Call me when you can?" He asked.  
  
"I'll do that." She shut the door behind her. "I'll walk you down."  
  
They walked down the stairs to an awaiting Kyle and Hannah.  
  
Hannah eyed Max carefully and stayed on the opposite side of Kyle who was on the opposite side of Liz. She sensed something was wrong, her mother always introduced her to someone new. The man was staring at her again and she shrank behind Kyle's legs.  
  
"You ready to go?"  
  
"Les, Mommy." Hannah nodded and reached for Kyle who took her.  
  
Hannah rested her head on his shoulder. Max's heart lurched at the comfort that his daughter took in another man's arms. Kyle noticed Max's face change for a quick instant and smirked at him before Liz could see.  
  
"I'll see you around, Max." Liz said before turning and walking to the car.  
  
****  
  
Max sat outside in the church parking lot. He had absolutely no right to be going to the ceremony, but he couldn't stop himself from walking up to the auditorium he had watched many other people enter.  
  
Walking into the auditorium he wondered if he had made a mistake. Maybe he wouldn't alert Liz to the fact that he was here.  
  
He took a seat in the back of the auditorium where no one would notice him.  
  
The lights flickered once, twice, and everyone hushed. Well as much as hushed could be. With it only being a four-year-old graduation, there were many younger siblings in the crowd.  
  
Pretty soon they called the name of each of the little kids. There were only about fifteen kids moving onto the big bad dangerous world of kindergarten so the announcer also the pastor at the church asked each child a few questions to the amusement of the audience.  
  
Hannah was one of the last kids called.  
  
[I] Hannah Bella-Marie Parker. [/I]  
  
Max sat a little straighter when he heard her name called. Her name flowed together perfectly, just like everything else Liz did. She walked onto stage with a huge grin on her face. She held her robe up with both hands. She was shorter than the other kids Max noticed. Liz had always been shorter than the others, knowing this made him smile a bit, she had inherited another trait from her mother.  
  
[I] "Hello, Miss Hannah." The pastor said.  
  
"Hello, Pastor." She said back smiling. Her r's weren't pronounced all the way.  
  
"Who did you come with tonight?" He asked kindly.  
  
"Wif Mommy and Kyle. Gwama Amy and Gwampa Jim too." She turned to the crowd and waved happily.  
  
"I bet they're all very proud of you. Do you think so?"  
  
"Yes. Aunt Mwia said is hard and she supwised Kyle did it. But don't know how she means because Kyle's smawt." [/I]  
  
There was a chuckle from the crowd and a quick "Hannah" which he knew came from Liz. He knew automatically that the spunk was something completely and uniquely Hannah.  
  
[I] "Alright, Miss Hannah. Congratulations. [/I]  
  
She walked down and straight to Liz.  
  
Liz must have said something she didn't like because she turned and glared.  
  
Two more names were called before the ceremony was over. Max watched as a small crowd of people surrounded Hannah and he couldn't see her anymore. Max stood quietly and made his way out of the auditorium before he was noticed by anyone.  
  
****  
  
Hannah snuggled her head more comfortably into Kyle's neck. He stopped outside the door while Liz unlocked it. He had draped his coat around Hannah's shoulders and it had nearly swallowed her up. He made a quick check and made sure the ring was still in there. Underneath Liz's façade of being happy he could sense her confusion. He was going to wait till she sorted through that confusion to ask her.  
  
After all, he had some confusion to work out on his own. He was reminded of that when Serena walked up to Maria's and Alex's door with them.  
  
"I thought you guys would have been here earlier than this." Serena said happily to Liz.  
  
"We went for ice cream." Liz said opening the door. "You can go set her on the bed." She instructed absently studying the way Kyle had looked at Serena.  
  
"So what have you been telling my daughter, Maria?" Once she made sure Kyle was in, she turned to talk to her friends across the way.  
  
"Nothing." She grinned. "That was told in complete confidence between girls."  
  
"You're teaching her things, Maria." Liz smiled. "I'm a girl, care to share?"  
  
"I know. But you're Mommy and it was just Aunt Mwia and Hannah talk." She smiled.  
  
"Mommy!"  
  
"Speak of the angel." Maria laughed.  
  
"I thought she was sleeping." Liz said annoyed.  
  
"Uh, Liz!" It was Kyle this time.  
  
"I'm coming." Liz called. "Those two." Liz didn't finish her sentence before she turned around and entered the house.  
  
"See we should have gone with them, Maria, then I could have carried Hannah up and she wouldn't be awake now, and Liz could go straight to sleep." Alex said crossing his arms.  
  
"Alex, if we would have gone with them, you wouldn't have gotten to hang around afterwards with us and Hannah's aunt." Maria said smartly.  
  
"Who said I wanted to hang out with Hannah's aunt?"  
  
"You said so yourself on the way home, she's nice and sweet and unbelievably gorgeous." Maria repeated.  
  
"She is." Alex shrugged casually and turned inside the apartment "Looking at Hannah, beauty runs in the family."  
  
"Yes, it does. God help Liz with Max." Maria whispered and shut the door.  
  
****  
  
"Mommy, who was dat man?" Hannah asked through a yawn as she watched her mother prepare for bed.  
  
Liz turned to meet her daughter's questioning eyes. She was sitting cross legged on her bed with her head resting on her hands.  
  
Liz thought a moment before she spoke. She didn't want to lie to her daughter about who Max was, but she wasn't quite ready to tell her his true identity. She wanted a chance to meet him, talk to him. She was going to call him Monday, make him wait a day, to seem like she wasn't in any rush. Then she had Kyle to think about. What was she going to do about him? Hannah was extremely close to him and Kyle loved Hannah very much. She didn't want to hurt either of them with what was going to happen. She, herself, didn't even know what was going to happen.  
  
So she stuck with the truth,  
  
"That man was a old friend of Mommy's." Liz sat on the bed.  
  
"He has eye's like Aunt Isabel."  
  
"You didn't see him that long, how do you know he has eyes like Aunt Isabel?"  
  
"Cuz." Was all she answered. "I see him again?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"What is his name?"  
  
"Max." She repeated testing it on her tongue. She took the bottle filled with water. She was old but she was only allowed water and when she was going to bed. Liz wasn't even sure if she actually drank anything rather than hold onto it, like a security blanket. She had asked Amy Valenti about it and she said she'd eventually grow out it.  
  
****  
  
"What are you doing, Liz? You're supposed to be at work." Serena stood over her.  
  
"I don't have work, and be quiet, Hannah's sleeping." She said opening her eyes and staring directly into Serena's green eyes. "I'm relaxing."  
  
"On the floor?"  
  
"Yes. It's quite comfortable." She shut her eyes again.  
  
"What are your plans today?"  
  
"Stay at home and spend time with Hannah."  
  
"Sounds like fun, I'm going over to Maria's and Alex's. Oh yeah, I was supposed to ask you, do you have Isabel's number? Alex wants it."  
  
"It's in my phone book. Why does Alex want it?"  
  
"Because he likes her." Serena said simply turning on her heel.  
  
"Alex likes a girl?"  
  
"Yeah, Hannah's aunt."  
  
At that moment Hannah strolled in and situated herself directly on Liz, bottle in hand. "Hannah, give the bottle to Mommy."  
  
She sighed and handed over the bottle but didn't relinquish her position.  
  
"Liz, where's your address book?" She called from the bedroom.  
  
"In the nightstand." Liz called back. Hannah looked around happily.  
  
"Liz, are you gonna."  
  
"Don't say it." Liz warned.  
  
"What I was only going to ask."  
  
"Don't ask what you're going to ask." Liz glared.  
  
"I just wanted to know."  
  
"Serena, please, don't ask."  
  
"If Kyle was coming over."  
  
Liz shut her eyes, counted to five and braced herself. "Kyle's coming?" Hannah sat up.  
  
"Thank you, Serena, Hannah, Mommy can't breath when you're sitting on my tummy." Liz huffed. "And no, I wasn't planning on Kyle coming over."  
  
"Please?" Hannah asked bouncing on her tummy. "I wanna see Kyle."  
  
"Maybe he'll come over for dinner." Liz sat up. "But I have things that I need to do, just Mommy and Hannah things." Liz stood up.  
  
"Swena too?"  
  
"No, Hannah, Serena's going out." Serena closed the door to leave them be by themselves.  
  
****  
  
Liz rolled over exhausted next to Hannah. She had finally gotten the four year old to sleep, without a bottle.  
  
She loved spending entire days with Hannah. It was rare thing that they did and she knew from Hannah's deep breathing that she loved them as well.  
  
Liz quietly peeled the tiny hand from it's sharp grasp on her shirt and stood from the bed, stretching. Tiredness was something she was used to, she had things to do.  
  
She watched Hannah sleep for a few more minutes before she slid out of the door and closed it half way so she wouldn't wake her.  
  
She picked up the phone and dialed the number on the paper in her hand, and waited.  
  
****  
  
"Hello?" Isabel answered the phone.  
  
"Hi, Isabel."  
  
"Liz? Hi! How are you?" Isabel asked shutting her door.  
  
"I'm alright, Isabel, I need to talk to your brother." Liz said shakily.  
  
"Oh, yes." Isabel stood from the bed and shouldered the phone to scoop the dog off the bed. "Liz, if I would have known he was planning on going over there on Saturday night, I would have told you. I really should have known, he was not himself the past week." Isabel apologized.  
  
"It's alright, it would only had me worried and nervous all day. Now can I talk to him before I lose my nerve and Hannah wakes up?"  
  
"Yes. Just a second." She left her room and walked over to Max's room.  
  
"Max, wake up." Liz heard through the phone.  
  
Liz heard the familiar grunt and something being tossed. "Max!" Isabel shrieked.  
  
"I'm sorry, Liz." She emphasized the name and his head shot up. "Max seems to have had a very exhausting day in court."  
  
"I can call back later." Liz said hurriedly happy for a postponement.  
  
"No, no, he's up now." She smiled and handed the phone to him. Her face turned from amusement to complete seriousness. She pushed the mute button on the phone and looked him in the eye. "Max, be careful. It's not about you and Liz anymore. It's about you and Hannah. Maybe, just maybe in the future, it might be about you and Liz." She pressed talk and handed him the phone before exiting the room.  
  
"Liz?" He asked hesitantly.  
  
"Yes, it's me." She breathed and closed her eyes. "Max, we need to talk."  
  
"Yes, yes I know." Max said trying to calm his nerves, just the sound of her voice, after so many years was reeking turmoil on him. "Do you want to meet or something, so we don't have to do this over the phone?"  
  
"Yes, that would probably be better." Liz nodded. She moved and stood in the doorway of the bed where Hannah was sleeping peacefully. "We have a lot to talk about." Hannah stirred slightly and Liz returned to the kitchen.  
  
"Do you want to come over here?" He asked tentatively.  
  
"That would be fine. I can have Serena pick up Hannah from the Valentis, and I can stop by on my way home from work, say Thursday?" She spoke quickly once her mind was set.  
  
"That sounds good, what time do you get off?" Max asked smiling. It was nice to hear her voice casually.  
  
"Um," she paused. "It depends on how busy the clinic is that day. Usually I'm off around 5, but it takes forever with traffic to get home, usually around 6:30. That's kind of late." She said going off again.  
  
"That will be fine, do you want to meet for dinner?" He asked hopefully.  
  
"No, I eat dinner with Hannah. Gosh, that causes another problem, maybe Thursday's not such a good day."  
  
"You can bring her along." He suggested.  
  
"No." Short. Plain. Simple.  
  
"Alright." He backed off, not used to that tone of voice directed at him.  
  
"I want to talk to you first before you meet her." Liz said. "Before she meets you."  
  
"I understand." He nodded.  
  
"Good." She said. "Let's say, I don't know, Max. I work a lot and when I'm not working I like to spend my time with her." She admitted.  
  
Max cringed. The reason why she worked so much was because she was raising a daughter on her own, their daughter on her own.  
  
"Liz, I." Max started to apologize.  
  
"Don't say anything, Max. Alright, I figured it out. Isabel was asking to take Hannah anyway on Saturday. While she's with her, I'll meet you."  
  
"Sounds good, wait, Isabel knows Hannah?"  
  
"Yes." Liz said into the phone. "I have to go, Hannah's waking up. Ask Is for the final details."  
  
"I'll do that. Goodbye, Liz, and thank you."  
  
"Goodbye." She was all she said before hanging up the phone. Hannah was still sound asleep.  
  
Liz went back to the bed and laid down next to her daughter. The tiny girl curled up to her mother and took hold of her shirt once more. Liz let the tears fall silently as she watched her innocent baby sleep. She had no idea what she was going to do, how she was going to explain any of this to her. She had never asked questions about her father. She just knew she didn't have one.  
  
Just last week instead of proudly displaying that week's final project, she had quietly slipped it from her backpack and into the trash. Later that night when she had been sleeping Liz had gone to retrieve it and it was a Happy Father's Day card. Liz had cried silently that night as well.  
  
She had always imagined a perfect life with Max. She would be happy. Not that she wasn't now. Her entire life was sleeping soundly beside her and she couldn't have wanted anything more. Except for Max to be there, with them, and the thought terrified her.  
  
[b]TBC[/b] 


	17. First Meetings

Chapter 17  
  
Liz woke up literally inches from the edge of the bed. She smiled when Hannah tried to budge her closer to the floor. She slid out of bed and Hannah stretched across the extra room. No matter that Hannah's side of the bed was completely empty.  
  
Tying her robe around her and entering the kitchen, Liz poured a cup of coffee before sitting at the table. She flipped through a magazine that Maria had left behind before closing it. It was only six in the morning. No one in their right mind would be up this early in the morning. Except Liz wasn't in her right mind. Today she was going to meet Max. Today she was going to talk to him after four years of silence.  
  
Closing her eyes counted the hours she had till the meeting and what had to be accomplished. The meeting wasn't till eleven. Hannah had to be bathed and dressed and ready to go with Isabel at ten. She had to shower and change. That wouldn't take too long. Maybe she'd make a fun breakfast with Hannah, or maybe she'd crawl back into bed. She hadn't gone to sleep until midnight.  
  
Deciding to go back to bed, Liz slipped into bed on what was supposed to be her side now that Hannah had moved back to her own.  
  
An hour later, Liz was on the edge of the bed. Deciding that was as much sleep as she was going to acquire that night, she walked to the bathroom to ready herself for her day.  
  
In the shower, Liz carefully put all of Hannah's precious bath toys on the side of the tub before flipping on the water. She went over carefully how she wanted the meeting to go. This was something she felt that she had control over; there were so many things in her life that she was not in control of.  
  
When she got out Hannah was lying in bed finishing off her bottle. "Hannah." She held her hand out.  
  
She sulked over and placed it in Liz's hand. "I'm going too?" She asked noticing Liz getting ready.  
  
"You're going to see Aunt Isabel, I have a meeting with Max."  
  
"Max?" Hannah was curious about this man.  
  
"Yeah." Liz dried her hair and slipped on her robe. "Come on, let's go find something to eat."  
  
Hannah talked while Liz made breakfast and all through it. Liz smiled at her daughter as she used her hands to describe her the previous day and how much fun she had.  
  
"Then when you pressed a button, the tiger made a roaring sound." She giggled. "It scared Grandma Amy. But I wasn't scared." She said proudly.  
  
"Did you really scare Grandma Amy, she's pretty tough to scare."  
  
"Yeah. She screamed." Hannah nodded around a mouthful of eggs.  
  
"Hannah."  
  
She swallowed then mumbled a "sorry." Then continued on with her story.  
  
Serena breezed out of her room freshly showered. "I'm off." She said grabbing a nectarine.  
  
"Where to?" Liz asked looking up from Hannah.  
  
"Work. They had an emergency and I need more hours if I plan on moving out." She picked up her lab coat and stethoscope. "I'm not sure I'll be back for dinner so don't wait around." She shut the door behind her.  
  
"Alright." Liz said and turned back to Hannah. "We have to get you ready."  
  
"To see Aunt Isabel?"  
  
"Yes." She said. "Go pick out what you want to wear while I finish off the dishes."  
  
"Ok." She hopped down and ran to the bedroom.  
  
She usually picked out something that matched reasonably well. As long as she didn't pick to wear her rain boots Liz didn't care what she wore.  
  
Hannah had carefully picked out her outfit and had it on the bed waiting for Liz to run her bath.  
  
"Come on." Hannah followed her into the bathroom. "No toys today." Liz shook her head no.  
  
Hannah understood she needed to hurry so she didn't wiggle in the bathtub. She held still so the soap wouldn't get in her eyes when Liz rinsed her hair.  
  
After dressing her and pulling her hair into a ponytail she was ready to go. Glancing at her watch Liz told Hannah to play quietly while she got herself ready.  
  
Half an hour later Liz was ready to go.  
  
****  
  
"Max, just calm down." Isabel tried to tell her brother.  
  
"I can't, Is." She told her. "I haven't seen her in five years." Max told her.  
  
"You saw her last Saturday."  
  
"That doesn't count, but, she did look amazing." Max smiled. "I don't even know what to say to her."  
  
"Just talk, let her talk first, and if she doesn't want to, you start. It'll be awkward at first but you have to try." Isabel gave him a hug. "I'm proud of you, Max. I'm proud of her too. When you talk to her, really talk to her, you'll notice she's still Liz. She might be a little different granted she is a mother, but she's still Liz, and you've always been at ease with her."  
  
"I know, it's that mother in her that worries me." Max shrugged.  
  
"There's nothing to be afraid of." Isabel comforted.  
  
"I know, but I sense there is."  
  
****  
  
Liz watched Hannah and Isabel drive away from her bench at the park. She considered it her park. She had taken one look at it when she was still pregnant with Hannah and had immediately fallen in love with it.  
  
This was her safe place. She came here often to let Hannah to play with other children. Liz would sit and write in her journal or just watch Hannah play. She had no idea why she had asked Max to invade this private part of her life, but for some reason it felt right.  
  
Max watched Liz from across the park. She sat on bench, her one leg tucked under her as she always had. She tucked a loosed strand of hair behind her ear. If one hadn't known her she would have just looked like a gorgeous young woman sitting on a bench, waiting from someone. You would never guess that she had a four-year-old child.  
  
"Liz?" He came up behind her.  
  
She didn't even startle. She prided herself on that.  
  
"Max." She lifted her head. "Hello."  
  
"Good morning, Liz."  
  
"Mind if I sit?" He asked pointing towards the bench.  
  
"Of course." She said.  
  
He didn't sit too close to her knowing he didn't have a right to.  
  
Knowing there was no point Max jumped right into the conversation. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?"  
  
"I couldn't." Liz said not wanting to dodge the obvious either. "Would you have come with me?"  
  
"No." He shook his head. He would have made her stay.  
  
"You would have tried to make me stay. I couldn't stay there, Max." Liz shook her head.  
  
"I know." Max nodded. "I was afraid of going against my mother, you were so much more mature than I was, Liz. You were ready to make decisions I wasn't ready for." He shrugged. "I was shocked when I saw Hannah last Saturday. I still thought of her as a baby."  
  
"I know, sometimes it's hard to believe how fast she grew up." Liz smiled, thinking of how much she talks. "Where were you, Max? Why did you come after us?" Her smile turned into a frown. Why didn't you come sooner? is what she wanted to know. Why didn't you call, why didn't you send a birthday card for her?  
  
"I spent three years in law at UNM." He said started.  
  
"It takes at least four years even to get a basic degree in law, Max."  
  
"I know, I was determined to get it done by Hannah's fourth birthday." He said shyly. "I didn't quite make it, but my parents pulled some strings. They didn't know why I wanted it done so quickly but they were willing to help. I took some extra classes and finished a few weeks after." He shrugged.  
  
Liz studied Max. He had that for him still. His parents were able to pull strings and get whatever he needed done. If she had asked her parents five years previously they could have too, but now they wouldn't think twice about her.  
  
He could have studied law out here. They could have worked it out, somehow. It might not have been as easy as he had had it but they would have been together, Hannah would have had a father. Liz was suddenly angry with him.  
  
"Why did you have to stay in New Mexico for your law degree?" She asked coldly moving further away from him. She was angry at him for staying away so long. She was angry at herself knowing she shouldn't be mad at him, she knew she didn't want him to find her, and she was angry at herself for being angry. She was supposed to have no feelings for him. She was not supposed to care about where he was, or why he chose to stay there.  
  
Max turned to her when he heard the sudden chill in her voice. She had been so calm before. He looked at her, really looked at her. Her hair was a bit longer than in had been when he last saw her. Her face still perfectly unmarred. Her body trim, no sign of bearing a child. She was still perfectly tan from the warm California sun. He was quiet a minute longer not sure how to answer her question. Judging from her facial expression, she was not in the mood to mess around. If he remembered correctly, that face meant she was angry. She always controlled her anger extremely well unless she was around someone she cared deeply for, then she didn't hang on to such tight control. But the way she was looking at him now meant that she was going to control it. And it scared Max to death about what that meant for him.  
  
He hadn't expected Liz to want to get back together with him. He wasn't planning for it, but there was no harm in hoping.  
  
"No, I didn't." He said carefully judging her reaction. "But I did, and we can't go back and change that."  
  
She nodded. "I don't want to."  
  
Max hadn't been expecting that.  
  
"I've grown up in the past five years, Max. I'm not little innocent Liz Parker anymore. You sure as anybody know that." She looked at him. "I'm a mother. I have so many responsibilities lying on my shoulders. There's a little girl who relies on me for everything. I've grown up, Max, you're right. I did mature faster than you did, I had to." She stood up.  
  
"Max, I can't even begin to explain what these last few years have been like for me." She wanted to tell him about Hannah's surgery. About how sick his daughter was, is. How she spends more time at daycare than with her. How she smiles like Max, how her eyebrows fold in contemplation like Max, how her ears peak out from behind her hair. But she didn't.  
  
Max hesitated for a moment. "I know." He waited till she faced him again to continue. "But, Liz, you have to understand what it was like for me as well. I had no idea where my daughter was. I knew she was out there somewhere, in California. I didn't know if she'd lost her first tooth, if she wanted a puppy, if she had one. I didn't know what her first words were, when she took her first step."  
  
Liz's eyes filled with tears as she looked back at him.  
  
"I'm not saying that to hurt you, Liz, I just want you to understand how I was feeling too." He said desperately. "I want to meet her, Liz. I want to help you. I feel stupid for signing those papers, giving up custody and control over my daughter." He said quietly.  
  
Liz's head flew up, her eyes filled with panic. "You c-can't take that from me, Max."  
  
"I don't mean to." He silenced her, taking her hand.  
  
Her eyes searched his as continued on. "No. I don't mean to. I just want to know her, let her know that I'm her father, that I love her."  
  
Liz was quiet for a moment and sat down. He had never said those words to her before. She remembered saying them to him, but never hearing him say them in return. "I, I don't know what to, Max. You should meet your daughter, to get to know what a wonderful person she is." She nodded, still looking at the ground. "She should know who her father is."  
  
"It doesn't have to be right away. She doesn't even have to know who I am, until later."  
  
"No, I've never lied to her. Y-you can meet her." She conceded.  
  
"Thank you. I'll wait for whenever you feel she's ready."  
  
Liz nodded and removed her hand. She glanced down at her watch. It had been two hours. Isabel was going to meet up with her for lunch at one right after her meeting, in time for a quick afternoon nap for Hannah before they went out that night.  
  
"I have to go." She said quickly.  
  
"Ok." He said reluctant to see her leave. "Give me a call."  
  
"I will. Goodbye."  
  
"Liz, just one thing." He said before she walked away. He pulled her chin up to look at him. For a moment she was frightened he was going to kiss her.  
  
"Tell me this, Liz, were you happy?"  
  
Liz thought back to those frightened days as a young mother with a sick child. She thought of her tired, blistered feet. Hannah's whimper as she awakened from her surgery. The doctor saying her baby girl would need surgery. The thought of the small apartment they lived in made her want to frown.  
  
She thought of Maria and Alex who had been there for her. Of Amy and Jim Valenti who had supported her and helped her so much.  
  
She thought of Hannah's smile. She thought of the proud pictures on the refrigerator. The way Hannah loved her. She thought of the pouts and the rounds of arguments the girl could spout out at her young age. Hannah's stubbornness. She thought of her first smile and how her heart had swollen with joy.  
  
And as she thought, she knew she'd do it all over again for her baby girl.  
  
She smiled slowly at Max as she thought everything over. "Yes, Max, I'm very happy. I'd do it all over again."  
  
[b]TBC[/b] 


	18. Cardiologist

[b] Chapter 18 [/b]  
  
Liz sat in the cardiologist's office, Hannah reading a book on the floor. She was showing a little girl pictures. "Cat." Hannah pointed at the word.  
  
Liz smiled her encouragement.  
  
"Dog." She went on. She looked at Liz to make sure she was listening.  
  
"Dog and Cat." The next page said. Liz looked down the book. This was one from the doctor's office. She didn't have this one at home which meant Hannah could actually read, or recognize, the words.  
  
"Good job, Hannah." Liz encouraged.  
  
Kyle came up behind her and sat down. Hannah had yet to notice his presence.  
  
"Fish." Hannah said. "Dog, cat and fish." She looked at Liz her eyes shining. "I did it, Mommy." She jumped into her arms. Liz held her for a second feeling her heart beating frantically in her daughter's chest.  
  
Her eyes lit up. "Hi!"  
  
"Mon Papillon." He took her. "How are you?"  
  
"Good." She told him hugging him. She had never really been nervous at her doctor's appointment, but today she was trembling.  
  
"She ok?" Kyle asked.  
  
Liz's happiness turned to concern. She shook her head in the negative.  
  
Kyle pulled back and raised Hannah's chin so her eyes met his. He spoke softly to her in French. Tears filled her eyes as she nodded her head yes and buried her head into his shirt babbling on.  
  
Liz's heart constricted and tears filled her eyes as well as Kyle hugged Hannah close to him. His eyes rose and met hers.  
  
Liz had heard every word echoing loud and clear. She was having trouble breathing. There might have to be another surgery. Liz shuttered and closed her eyes.  
  
There was no money for another surgery.  
  
"Parker, Hannah." The MA called.  
  
Standing with Hannah in his arms, he moved to the front door.  
  
Hannah shot from his arms and into Liz's. Liz's arms came automatically around her and she rolled her eyes.  
  
Hannah buried her face in Liz's neck as they walked into the examination room.  
  
****  
  
Isabel reclined lazily on the beach. Alex was beside her and Serena and Maria on the other side. "So where are Liz and Hannah this fine afternoon?"  
  
"Hannah had a doctor's appointment." Maria said.  
  
Alex couldn't keep his eyes off of Isabel. Good Lord, she was gorgeous.  
  
"She, OK?" She asked.  
  
"We don't know." Serena answered trying to keep her face neutral. "Liz wanted Kyle to be there though."  
  
Isabel looked at the red head through her glasses. "What does that mean?"  
  
"It means that everything isn't fine, there's something Liz isn't telling us." Maria clarified. It wasn't for them to tell Isabel about Hannah.  
  
Isabel's brows drew together. "Why would she tell Kyle?"  
  
"She tells Kyle everything." Serena told her quietly. Isabel eyed the woman next to her suspiciously.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I don't know, she just does." Serena put her sunglasses back on and closed her eyes.  
  
Isabel dwelled on it a little more before her eyes wandered back over to Alex.  
  
He was rather cute, she finally admitted to herself, and if she wasn't mistaken he hadn't stopped looking over at her.  
  
"What would be so wrong with Hannah that Liz wouldn't tell you guys?" She asked innocently.  
  
She was met with silence.  
  
****  
  
Liz blinked as she went over her finances. Hannah was going to need another corrective surgery, and there wasn't any money in which to do it with.  
  
Her insurance would cover some but it wasn't enough. She wanted to cry. She put her head down on her arms.  
  
She felt a small, sticky, hand on her shoulder. "Mommy?"  
  
"Yes, Hannah bean." She lifted her onto her lap.  
  
"Love you." Hannah said quietly.  
  
"I love you too." Liz kissed her neck.  
  
Her heart was beating quickly and she knew she had just walked from the living room.  
  
Liz's own heart ached. She was going to have to move, in order to cover the cost of the surgery.  
  
Hannah wrapped her arms around Liz's neck so she was imprisoned. Liz didn't mind and held her daughter all the tighter to her. "No work tomorrow?"  
  
"No work tomorrow." Liz smiled.  
  
"When?"  
  
"Next week."  
  
"Monday?"  
  
"No, one week from Monday." Liz told her.  
  
Hannah's eyes widened. That was a long time!  
  
"Love you!" she turned and wrapped her arms firmly around her mother's neck.  
  
Later Serena returned to find Liz scanning the newspapers.  
  
"What are you doing?" Serena asked, sitting down exhausted.  
  
"Looking for an apartment." Liz told her absently.  
  
"Why?" Serena straightened, Liz wouldn't look at her. "What's wrong, Liz?" She asked.  
  
"Hannah needs another corrective surgery. I can't stay here, I don't make enough."  
  
"Well, I could always shoulder your part of the rent for a few months." Serena tried. She'd be more than happy to do so.  
  
"No." Liz shook her head. She still had her pride. She wouldn't allow someone else to pay her rent as long as there was still a cheaper place she could move.  
  
"Where will you go?" She asked.  
  
"I don't know yet." Liz went back to the newspaper.  
  
"What about Max?"  
  
"What about him?"  
  
"When is he going to meet her?"  
  
"I don't know. I have this week off."  
  
"Max?" Hannah piped up automatically. She was still very curious about who he was. Isabel had a picture of him in her wallet. "I see Max?"  
  
Liz thought it would be a clever thing to have Max see Hannah before she goes into surgery.  
  
"Go play in the other room for a minute, will you, Hannah bean?" Liz scooted her off her lap.  
  
She watched as she went back and settled back down to watch Veggie Tales. "We have to go to another surgery."  
  
Serena's face fell. "Oh, Liz." She said her shoulders dropping. "When."  
  
"It's not immediate but you can feel her heart beating faster." Liz looked over at her daughter who was bobbing her head in time to the song on the music.  
  
"Is that why Kyle went with you?" Serena asked.  
  
Once again Liz's eyes clouded over. She didn't know where she stood with him. They had never brought it up before.  
  
The credits rolled and Hannah came back to her mother. "I'm hungry."  
  
"Alright. What do you want?" She asked sliding her off her lap.  
  
"Cereal." She answered. "We can see Max tomorrow?" She asked while Liz prepared her cereal.  
  
Liz trembled when her daughter asked the question. She stared down into the wide questioning eyes. "Why do you want to meet Max?"  
  
Hannah shrugged. "Please?"  
  
"Alright. I have to call him, but I don't know if it's tomorrow that you will meet him."  
  
It was sooner than she was hoping and she was planning on talking to Kyle but now would have to do.  
  
****  
  
"Hi, Max." Liz said into the phone. She had realized that she had never given him her telephone number and it was always her doing the calling.  
  
"Hello." He said smiling at her voice.  
  
"Hannah wants to meet you."  
  
The smile was wiped off his face. His breath came in on a sharp grasp. "She asked?"  
  
"Yeah. She knows your name, I'll explain to her who you are. Give me one more day?" She asked. "Sunday noon?"  
  
"Sunday noon sounds good. The park?"  
  
"The park." Liz agreed.  
  
She didn't know what she was getting herself into. She contemplated calling Kyle but decided against it. This was between her, Max and Hannah. 


	19. Arrangements

[b]Chapter 19[/b] Liz picked up the phone and dialed the number she had memorized.  
  
"Hello?" The voice sounded sleepy.  
  
"Hi, Max, did I call too early?" She said worriedly.  
  
"No, no." He sat up trying to clear his head. Hearing her voice was not helping any.  
  
"I'm sorry, I forget Hannah runs on a different schedule then normal people. She's usually up by six thirty." She glanced at the clock. It was a little past eight. "I can call later, so you can go back to sleep. I don't recall you being a morning person."  
  
He liked the playful banter in her voice. She always had been a morning person.  
  
"No, it's fine." He figured he'd might as well get used to Hannah's unusual schedule.  
  
"I'm gonna tell her today, Max." her voice turned serious. "I'm giving her the decision if she wants to see you tomorrow." Liz said. "I know it sounds weird, but she understands more than anyone could even guess. She's really sensitive."  
  
"Are you going to introduce me as me or a friend?"  
  
"You, her father." Liz explained.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"I'll talk to her, Max, don't be hurt if she doesn't want to. It just means she wants to straighten out everything in her mind, questions, etc." Liz explained.  
  
"I understand." Max cursed himself.  
  
"Ok."  
  
"Mon Papillon!" Kyle had just let himself into the house.  
  
"Kyle!" Hannah said excited. She eagerly ran into his arms.  
  
"Who's that?" Max asked before he could stop himself, curious of the male voice.  
  
"A.friend." Liz said looking at Kyle who was studying her.  
  
"I have to go." She told. "Sorry for waking you so early.  
  
"Goodbye, Liz." She smiled.  
  
"Goodbye, Max." She said before she could stop herself. Kyle's eyes swung to her.  
  
"Hello, Kyle." Liz stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "What are you doing here." She said holding the door open.  
  
"I was had to bring something from my mom to Maria and I thought I'd stop by." He shrugged and held onto Hannah. "I have a shift at ten, are you two up for breakfast?"  
  
"Yes!" Hannah announced.  
  
"That would be fine, but I have an appointment at eleven so we have to be back by then." Liz said grabbing her purse.  
  
"Can do, come on Mon Papillon." He said and took Liz's hand.  
  
****  
  
"So, what appointment do you have at ten?" Kyle asked.  
  
"We have to get a new 'partment." Hannah stated.  
  
"A new apartment?" Kyle repeated. "Where at?"  
  
"Down the hill some." Liz said hoping to drop the subject.  
  
"Why?" There was two questions in the word. Why were they moving and why wasn't he told about it.  
  
"I just think it was time that we had a move." Liz shrugged. She gave Kyle a look telling him not to pursue the matter.  
  
He nodded.  
  
"So tell me how it feels to be a kindergartener?" Kyle turned his question to Hannah.  
  
"I start next week, Kyle." Hannah said. Her school was on year round so she started in the middle of summer.  
  
"But you aren't in preschool so you're a kindergartener." Kyle explained.  
  
Hannah just stared at him skeptical of what he said. "No." She shook her head ate another chicken strip. ****  
  
"Hannah bean, come here please." Liz called from the bedroom.  
  
"Les?" Hannah walked in and sat on the bed next to her mother. Her hair was pulled back in French braids hoping for it to crimp in the morning. She crawled under the covers.  
  
"Did you like the new apartment?"  
  
"Les." She nodded. "It was really close to the park too. The one with the duckies."  
  
"Yes, very close to the duckies." Liz smiled. "So you are happy with it."  
  
"Les. We'll be far from Grandma Amy and Grandpa Jim and everybody." She said sadly. "But they can come see us."  
  
"Yes they can." Liz affirmed.  
  
"Hannah, I need to tell you something, I'm gonna try to explain it to you, if you have any questions just ask, ok?" Liz looked at her daughter seriously.  
  
"Alright." Hannah nodded her head with as much seriousness a four year old could handle.  
  
"We're going to meet Max tomorrow."  
  
"Max." Her whole face changed. Still there was something in her mother's voice making her weary.  
  
"Hannah, do you know who your daddy is?" Liz pulled her onto her lap.  
  
Hannah looked down at her hands and shook her head.  
  
"Did you know you had a daddy?" She asked.  
  
"Allie told me everyone has a daddy." Hannah said quietly uncomfortable with the conversation.  
  
"Allie's right." Liz said. "Everyone has one."  
  
"Where is he?" Hannah asked.  
  
"Sometimes daddyies don't live with their families." Liz explained. "Sometimes they can't."  
  
"Why?" Hannah turned and looked at her in the face.  
  
"Certain things happen, between mommies and daddies, but not because of the children." Liz rushed to assure her.  
  
"Where's my daddy?" Hannah asked. She was curious. She'd never asked before but since her mother brought it up there didn't seem to be any sense in avoiding it.  
  
"You're going to meet him tomorrow?" Liz said in an unsteady breath.  
  
"Tomorrow." Her face was a mixture of confusion. She didn't know to be happy or excited.  
  
"Max." Liz said finally.  
  
"Max, is my daddy?"  
  
"Yes, sweetheart." She nodded.  
  
"Oh." She had already met him. Once, but he hadn't acknowledged her. She wasn't so sure.  
  
"Is that all right with you, because if you don't want to you don't have to." Liz comforted her.  
  
Hannah hesitated. She wasn't sure. Would he like her, hate her. She squirmed a bit. Slowly she nodded.  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Les." She hugged her tight and crawled under the covers. "Love you, Mommy."  
  
"I love you too." Liz replied and kissed her forehead.  
  
She shut the door so only a small stream of light made it's way across the floor.  
  
She picked up the phone and dialed Max's number.  
  
****  
  
"Hello?" Max picked up the phone out of breath.  
  
"Max, did I catch you at a bad time?" Liz greeted.  
  
"No, Ella got out and I just chased her up and down three flights of stairs." He said trying to even out his breathing.  
  
"Oh." She said. "I can call back later."  
  
"No it's fine, just hang on a second." He put the phone down and firmly shut the door behind him. Liz heard a very firm 'stay' and a scampering of paws against the tile which indicated the dog had no regard for his master.  
  
"Sorry about that." He apologized.  
  
"It's fine. I just put Hannah to bed." She stated.  
  
Max's heart still clenched at the sound of his child's name.  
  
"How is she?" He asked.  
  
"She's confused, Max. In her own way, I think she's hurt too." Liz told him. "I asked her if she wanted to meet you, and she's ok with it."  
  
"Tomorrow?"  
  
"Tomorrow," Liz confirmed.  
  
"Alright." Max breathed out a nervous sigh. "Noon?"  
  
"Yes." Liz nodded even though he couldn't see her. "Bye."  
  
"Wait, Liz." He said quickly.  
  
"Yes?" She asked.  
  
"Thank you." He said quietly.  
  
"I would say no problem, but I'm not so sure about that yet." She said. "Goodnight Max."  
  
"Goodnight, Liz."  
  
She hung up the phone and tried to still her rapidly beating heart. She wiped away the tears telling herself they were just from anger. But she would be lying to herself.  
  
She slumped onto the couch next to the phone. It was hearing his voice again. Everytime he said her name it was like a warm caress. It filled an empty spot in her heart she thought she'd buried deep, telling herself it was her first love, made to be lost.  
  
But she knew it was her first love, and most definitely going to be her last. 


	20. Max and Hannah

Chapter 20  
  
"Is he nice?" Hannah asked the next morning.  
  
"Yes." Liz said as she parted Hannah's hair carefully.  
  
"Does he like little girls?" Hannah jerked back when Liz found a tangle.  
  
"Sorry." Liz murmured. "Yes, he does." Or at least she thought he did.  
  
"I'm scared." Hannah admitted finally.  
  
"I know." Liz bent down after tying the last ribbon. "I'm a little nervous too, but it will be ok."  
  
"Ok." Hannah nodded. "I'm hungry."  
  
"Me, too, let's go find something to eat before we go." Liz took her hand and led her out to the kitchen.  
  
"You look cute, Hannah." Serena complimented from the table.  
  
"Thank you." Hannah smiled. "I'm going to meet my d.M." She was quiet. She didn't know what to call him.  
  
"We're going to see Max." Liz said worriedly. They hadn't discussed what they were going to call him.  
  
"yeah." Hannah agreed.  
  
"What are your plans."  
  
"Nothing for today. I was thinking of going over to harass Alex and Maria." She stood and stretched.  
  
"We've got to go, Hannah." Liz grabbed her purse.  
  
"Coming." Hannah hopped down from the seat.  
  
"Alright, you ready?" Liz asked one more time.  
  
"Yep." Hannah nodded.  
  
"Good luck, Liz." Serena whispered to her as she hugged Liz.  
  
"Thank you." Liz shut the door behind her.  
  
****  
  
"You are not going to wear a tie are you?" Isabel asked pointedly.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Max, she's four." Isabel laughed. "Go casual."  
  
"But."  
  
"Max, she's not a client you're going to meet, this is your daughter. No fronts, just be yourself."  
  
Max nodded and tried to take it in, no fronts, just be himself.  
  
The dog lay sprawled across his freshly made bed her huge eyes staring him down.  
  
"I'm just 0nervous I'm going to screw everything up." He admitted.  
  
"You're not." Isabel assured him. "Good luck."  
  
"I'll need it." Max said on his way out the door.  
  
****  
  
Max watched as Liz got out of the car and walked around it to the opposite back door. She ducked inside for a span of thirty seconds and then straightened. A tiny hand popped out of the car and Liz took it easily and helped the small girl to the ground.   
  
Hannah smoothed her dress as Aunt Maria had taught her and pushed her hair clip further in.   
  
"Hannah, don't fuss with it." Liz bent down to her level and fixed the clip quickly and made sure her hair lay nicely.  
  
"I'm ready, Mommy." Hannah said when Liz stood.  
  
"Good." Liz took a breath, she wasn't sure she was.  
  
She turned towards the park and immediately saw him. He was dressed casually, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, khaki slacks. He looked every bit the lawyer that he was, according to Isabel in the few short months he'd been practicing he'd already begun to make an impression in the world of Law.  
  
"Come on." Liz took her hand and led her towards the park bench where Max sat patiently waiting.  
  
Hannah's sandaled feet began to grow slower as they neared the bench where Max stood.   
  
Liz gave her a little tug, telling her to keep up with her or else.  
  
Hannah picked up the pace and kept closely tucked into the side of her mother.  
  
Max stared down at his daughter as they neared. She was dressed in a lavender sundress. Her hair lay flattened clipped neatly to the side with two hair clips. Her feet her in white strappy sandals that all little girls wear.   
  
She looked up at him and it was like looking into a mirror.   
  
Max stared down at her and his eyes held as much shock as hers did. Not knowing what to say Max looked at Liz for help.  
  
Needing to bridge the gap, Liz knelt down to Hannah and spoke softly. "Hannah, this is your father, Max." She stated when she stood again.  
  
Max's heart beat hard in his chest at the introduction. He was a father! And this was his baby girl! It was just beginning to fully dawn on him. He turned to study Liz once more. Her stance was protective that of a mother bear waiting for him to make the slightest of a wrong move. She had an air of strength around her as she held tightly to the little girl's hand.  
  
"Hi." Max broke the silence. He also knelt down next to Hannah. "You must be Hannah."  
  
Hannah nodded and pushed her head deeply into Liz's pant leg.   
  
Trying again, Max didn't even bother to glance at Liz, he could do this himself. "You don't know me very well, and I don't know you." He said quietly.  
  
She still didn't budge. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea Liz thought she was going to squat down next to Max to help but a quick shake from his head told her not to.  
  
"I always imagined what you looked like, Hannah. I knew you'd be just as pretty as your mother." He tried. This was difficult!   
  
She turned her head to peek at him.   
  
It was working!  
  
"I was hoping that you'd get your mother's long pretty hair, I knew for sure, you'd get her cute little nose that tends to get really cold in the winter, and I knew you'd probably get my ears. Sorry about that one, kid." He tried to joke. "But I think they look very cute on a little girl."   
  
He now had Hannah's full attention. She was turned to face him with just one hand holding tight to Liz.   
  
"You forgot something." Hannah spoke softly.  
  
"What?" Max feigned ignorance. "Well, your chin, that is completely Miss Hannah Bella-Marie Parker's. And I can see, from those ears of yours, you must be very smart. Although, that too would have to be all Hannah, yes?"  
  
She giggled, slightly, and her mouth curved up. "You still forgot something."   
  
"Hmmm, let me think." Now he really was at a loss. "I talked about your ears, nose, chin, and hair. What else is there?"  
  
"Eyes! We have the same eyes." She pointed then reached out and pointed to his.  
  
"Oh, yes. We have the same eyes." He nodded solemnly. "Those are very important. Good thing you're so smart to remember them."  
  
She blushed and looked up at her mother. She took a tentative step away from Liz and towards Max.   
  
Max stood and held out his hand, maybe she would take it. "Would you like to go for a walk? I'd be honored if two lovely ladies would accompany me."  
  
Hannah nodded and without thinking slid her hand into his outstretched one.   
  
It was so much bigger than her mommy's! Her hand was swallowed by it, almost like Kyle's or Uncle Alex's. But it didn't frighten her at all.  
  
"I'll stay back here. You two can go along by yourself."  
  
Hannah looked cautiously at her mother than back at Max.  
  
"It's up to you, Hannah. If you want your mommy to come, she's more than welcome too, although we're not going far."  
  
Hannah thought for a moment. "Come, Mommy." She held out her other hand.   
  
This hand felt so much more familiar, so much more comforting.   
  
"So, I here you're going to be a kindergartener." Max started.  
  
"Yep." Hannah and Max talked the entire time; Liz only spoke when directly asked a question. She observed there interaction feeling almost normal, except in the way Hannah kept glancing to see if she was there.  
  
Liz contemplated on what her next step would be. She knew she'd have to tell Max sometime, but she wasn't sure when. And if she wasn't quick about it, Hannah might let it slip first. Even now her walking slowed a bit, her breathing came more labored.  
  
"Why don't we take a rest?" Liz suggested at the bench.  
  
There was something in her voice that didn't sound at all like a suggestion and Max immediately found a bench to sit on.  
  
Max studied the way Hannah dragged in great gasps of air and told himself he'd have to learn to walk slower. Her tiny little legs couldn't carry her as fast as his long one's could.  
  
Liz prayed he hadn't noticed anything out of sorts. 


	21. Max and Hannah Part 2

Chapter 21  
  
Hannah yawned in between sentences and her eyes started drooping.  
  
"Tired, Hannah?" Liz asked, as she started to lean on her more.  
  
"Yeah, and hungry." She nodded not at all deterred. "Grandma Amy takes me to the zoo sometimes."  
  
"Have you ever been to the big zoo, down in San Diego, I think it is?" Max asked. He wanted to lift her into his lap and cradle her as her eyes drooped.  
  
"Not yet. Mommy said when it's almost Christmas, then I don't have school. I start next week." She told her.  
  
"That should be fun." Max acknowledged.  
  
"Maybe you could come too." Hannah suggested.  
  
"Maybe." Max looked down at his hands.  
  
"Hannah, you're falling asleep, I think it's time that we go." The talking had very obviously drained her energy.  
  
Hannah started to protest then nodded her head. "Alright."  
  
Max stood first and Liz scooted Hannah off her lap. Max reached automatically to help Liz stand and then second their hands touched sparks flew. It was the first time any contact had been made between the two of them since he had shown up.  
  
Their eyes locked and there was nothing in the world. Liz's breath caught in her throat. She had forgotten what it was to feel this kind of love. That's what it was. That's the only thing it could be.  
  
With Kyle there was love, but she wasn't in love with him. He was comfortable, and steady never a doubt that he would be there.  
  
"Mommy." Hannah called staring at both her parents.  
  
Max's heart was beating a mile a minutes. The look in Liz's eyes was something he had wanted to see again for the past five years. She still loved him! He didn't know why or how, but she did. A little flame of hope grew in his heart. He didn't deserve her, but he would try to win her back.  
  
"Mommy!" Hannah stomped her foot this time, becoming impatient.  
  
Liz snatched her hand back, but not before Max had time to give her a warning squeeze.  
  
Her eyes met his once more, a warning in her own eyes, then down at Hannah.  
  
"I'm sorry, Hannah bean, you ready to go?"  
  
"Yes." Hannah looked curiously between the two of them.  
  
They walked slowly back to the car, and when they were half way there, Liz leaned down and picked up Hannah.  
  
The girl was so tiny. Max smiled, so was her mother.  
  
When they reached the car, Hannah hopped down from her arms and threw her arms around Max's waist. "Bye."  
  
For the third time that day Max's heart jumped. His toddler was hugging him. Her arms were small and barely surrounded him but he felt totally engulfed by her. He ran a hand through her hair, baby soft.  
  
"Goodbye, Little girl." He smiled.  
  
She smiled back before climbing into the car.  
  
Liz buckled her in and turned to face Max.  
  
"Thank you, Liz." He blurted before she could say anything.  
  
"Max." Was all she could say. "Again, next week?"  
  
He nodded. "That would be wonderful. She's wonderful, Liz." He absently reached up and brushed her hair behind her ear.  
  
"I know." Liz said looking into his eyes.  
  
"You did a wonderful job so far." He told her, his face utterly sincere.  
  
"Thank you." So many people have told her that, but coming from him, it meant something different.  
  
"I'll see you next week then." He turned to leave.  
  
"How about Tuesday, after her first day of school. I took the day off so I could take her and pick her up." She said without stopping to think. "She'd really enjoy that. It'll be a surprise."  
  
Max paused. He thought about his schedule. "What time?"  
  
"She gets out at noon." Liz said, trying to keep her voice from sounding to hopeful. God, she wanted it so bad.  
  
His face lit up. "I can do it." He nodded.  
  
"Great." She wanted to throw her arms around him.  
  
"I'll pick you up at your house if you want, at say eleven?" He asked.  
  
She stared at him. "Sure." A whole hour early! What could he be planning?  
  
****  
  
Liz walked into the apartment smiling, Hannah sleeping in her arms.  
  
Her smile faded when she noticed Serena and Kyle in a face off.  
  
"Damn it, Serena." Kyle answered. "We've gone over this a hundred times!" Kyle stocked towards her and leaned on the counter. His voice lowered, tenderly. "Serena, you know I wouldn't lie to you."  
  
"Kyle, explain to me again." Serena threw her pan into the sink as she shrugged away from him.  
  
"Do, explain, Kyle." Liz said. "But please wait till I lay my daughter down." She stalked from the room.  
  
"Dear God, Kyle! I didn't know she would be home so soon." Serena whispered and leaned against the counter.  
  
"I didn't either." He said.  
  
Liz strode back into the room purposefully and sat down at the table. "Now, would you like to explain whatever it was we were going to explain?" She rested her hand on her chin and crossed her legs and stared at them intently.  
  
"Kyle almost made me lose a patient today." Serena said slowly, giving Kyle a look of disgust. "He neglected to inform me that my patient was allergic to morphine."  
  
Kyle nodded slowly. "You caught it in time."  
  
"Kyle!" Serena turned and walked into her room slamming the door as effectively as possible without waking Hannah.  
  
Liz stared at the door. "Since when do you talk to Serena?" Liz asked. She didn't necessarily care the why's or how, she was actually quite glad. But she was certain something had been going on when she walked into the room.  
  
"Since she almost lost that patient. Now she hates me even more." Kyle said looking at the door. "I honestly didn't realize that patient was allergic." He shrugged. "And it was caught before it was administered."  
  
"I've got to get back to the hospital. Hopefully the word didn't spread else we'll be sued for malpractice." He said. He kissed her lightly on the head and left the apartment.  
  
Standing, Liz decided to get to the bottom of this. She knew for a fact Kyle would never forget something like that, and she knew for a fact Serena couldn't stay in the same room with a person she was lying to.  
  
"Serena, will you keep an eye on Hannah, I'm going across the way for a few minutes." Liz called.  
  
"Sure." The word sounded sniffled but Liz didn't question.  
  
****  
  
"Isabel!" Liz exclaimed when she stepped out. She was standing next to a tall man.  
  
"Hello, Liz. I came by for Alex." She said shyly. "We're supposed to go out tonight. Double date. This is Max's friend, Michael, he's our partner in California until we can get settled ourselves." Isabel introduced.  
  
"Alex, huh." Liz nodded and could easily picture the two together. She pushed open the door and called for Alex. "Nice to meet you, Michael."  
  
"Same here." He mumbled.  
  
"What's up, Liz?" Alex called, trying to tie a tie.  
  
"Isabel's at the door." She pulled him to her and straightened it for him.  
  
"Thanks." He said. "Anything you needed? Is Hannah alright?"  
  
"She's fine. I'll tell you all about our meeting later, right now you go have fun. Is Maria still in the back?"  
  
"Yes." He nodded and headed out to the front room.  
  
"Maria." Liz sat on the bed as Maria adjusted her dress.  
  
"What's wrong, babe?" Maria turned to her.  
  
"What's between Kyle and Serena?"  
  
Maria's eyes turned sharp. "Nothing, why?"  
  
Liz narrowed her eyes. "I caught them in a row this evening, when is Kyle ever at our apartment when I'm not there?"  
  
Maria just shrugged. "Did I hear you say Isabel was here?"  
  
"Yes." Liz said knowing she wasn't going to get a direct answer.  
  
"Did you see another man with her?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And, he looks like your type." Liz said dutifully.  
  
"I left Hannah sleeping with Serena, I have to go back over there. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"Bye, Liz." Maria hugged her and went out to find her date.  
  
****  
  
Liz lie amid her bed, Hannah sleeping quietly beside her. Her mind was working a mile a minute. She couldn't concentrate on one thing. The meeting with Max had gone so well, she had gone on impulse to invite him to Hannah's first day.  
  
Hannah shifted and snuggled closer despite the warm temperature outside.  
  
She was drained, emotionally and physically. She didn't know what to think, or even who to think about. There was Max, and then there was Kyle and Serena. Something was definitely happening there-- not that she thought Kyle was cheating on her-- maybe before. They had always been hostile towards each other, and when in a room together, not even Hannah could talk enough to still it.  
  
Liz deliberated on when she would tell Max of Hannah's heart. She knew she would tell him. It was a matter of when.  
  
If Max helped pay the medical bills, which she knew he would, she could start taking general courses at the community college and then work her way up to a social worker, following in Amy's steps. The legal system intrigued her.  
  
Liz wasn't sure what she would do, but Hannah was going into surgery soon and Max would definitely know about it. It was going to be in early August, when Hannah was off-track. She'd tell him soon. How cheerful would that be for him?  
  
"Hi Max, here's your daughter, by the way, she has a series of heart conditions that could kill her." Wonderful. 


	22. July the Fourth

A/N:  
  
Kristy: I'm sorry for the mistake. I mistook my mother's explanation. They cannot put the father's name on the birth certificate unless he's married to her, or he signs a pop form, the man says he will support the child until he/she turns 18. But, that one, complicates my story, two, makes it easier. But thanks for making me check up on that!  
  
Chapter 22  
  
"You ready, Hannah bean?" Liz brushed her hair up and grabbed the bag full of potato chips, towels, fresh clothes and everything else needed for a Fourth of July picnic.  
  
"Yes." She pulled at the straps on her swimsuit, which was concealed, under her spiffy new 'Old Navy' patriotic shirt. "Swimming, yes?"  
  
"Yes." Liz smiled and looked around the apartment for anything she had left behind. "Let's go find Aunt Maria and Uncle Alex and be on our way."  
  
Hannah nodded excitedly. "We can tell them about, all about yesterday."  
  
"Yes, you can." Liz nodded sadly. She walked across the hall and opened the door. "Knock knock." She called.  
  
"Come in, Liz." Maria called from the back.  
  
"Isabel?" Liz asked.  
  
Isabel glanced up she was sitting on a barstool.  
  
"Morning." She blushed furiously.  
  
"Aunt Isabel!" Hannah said excitedly. "Are you going too?"  
  
"Yes." Isabel smiled but didn't look up at Liz. "Alex invited me along." Isabel lifted her up onto her lap.  
  
"You like my shirt?" Hannah pointed at it. "It's just like Mommy's."  
  
"Very cute." Isabel agreed.  
  
"Morning, my beautiful." Alex walked out. He looked at everyone in the room, "well more like my beautifuls." He grinned.  
  
"So, how did the date go last night?" Liz looked between two of her best friends.  
  
"Wonderful!"  
  
"Great!"  
  
Both had responded at the same time.  
  
Liz smiled and headed for the door. "Are you ready to go, Alex?"  
  
"Yes, Isabel is coming with us." He stood.  
  
"That's great!" Liz said enthusiastically. Who would have ever guessed Isabel and Alex would end up together?  
  
Hannah kept everyone occupied with stories of Max and everything she had told him all while refraining from calling him anything.  
  
"Does she know I'm his sister?" Isabel asked quietly from the front seat?  
  
"No." Liz shook her head. "I'll tell her though, she won't find out on her own." Liz assured her.  
  
****  
  
Liz walked into the Valenti's house with Hannah tagging along behind her carrying her beach bag, a smaller version of Liz's. Her sunglasses were identical as well.  
  
And her flip-flops. Hannah's mission in life was to be just as pretty as her mama. Her father's compliment the day before about how she looked like her had been the greatest compliment he could have paid her.  
  
"Who is this?" Liz asked walking into the backyard to join the party.  
  
"Kailyn." Amy said holding shifting so as not to wake the tiny baby in her arms. "She's two weeks old."  
  
Liz looked at the tiny baby and her heart went out for her. "May I hold her?"  
  
"Of course. We went in this morning to get her." Amy informed her. "It's been a while since they used us as an ESH home." She explained. They were also licensed to house young children under extreme emergencies. ESH stood for Emergency Shelter Home.  
  
"How long?" Liz only had eyes for the baby. She knew Hannah was in capable hands with Kyle and the rest of the gang.  
  
"We don't know. We think until Mom shapes up." Amy said, her voice dripping with doubt.  
  
"Dear Lord that could be a while." Liz said looking at the precious bundle. She wanted another child. She didn't want Hannah to be her only one. But as things were going it would be a very long time till she had one.  
  
"Yeah. She was born early, due to drugs, and her mom has had that amount of time to shape up, she hasn't. Kailyn was in the hospital recovering, they needed a home for her and fast."  
  
"Poor baby." Liz cooed. The baby grunted before going back to sleep.  
  
"Mommy!" Hannah shrieked as Kyle picked her up and dropped her in the pool.  
  
Liz smiled and was grateful she was in the dry zone of the backyard. "Are you going to foster her?"  
  
"Yes, they don't want to move her if she has a chance of going back to Mom." Liz shook her head. The chances of that happening were slim. If she didn't care enough to stop drugs while she was pregnant with Kailyn, she wasn't planning on stopping ever.  
  
****  
  
Kyle sauntered over some hours later and looked down at Liz. He bent down and smoothed his hand over hers.  
  
It was his first sign of affection since Max had returned, and it was the first since the arguments she had walked in on. "I see you've met the new one."  
  
"Yeah." Liz said tentatively. She didn't know quite how to address them. She hadn't talked to Serena the night before either. She planned to tonight; she didn't want to let things go.  
  
"Here, let me take her from you." Kyle leaned down and placed a kiss on Liz's head as he slipped the baby from her arms.  
  
"Here, Mom, hold her." Kyle turned and handed the baby over.  
  
"Kyle, now why would you do that?" Liz asked puzzled, her eyebrows drew together.  
  
"Because." He smiled. He turned back towards Liz and picked her up.  
  
"Kyle, what are you doing?" Liz asked tightening her grip on him as he walked towards the pool. "No. Kyle, do not." Liz shook her head.  
  
"Don't do what?" He kept walking. Liz held on tight as he neared the edge.  
  
"Do it Kyle, do it!" Hannah chanted.  
  
"Kyle!" She shrieked as she fell. Her grip was nothing as Kyle expertly twisted out of it.  
  
She surfaced red faced and angry.  
  
"You will pay for that, Kyle James Valenti." She seethed.  
  
"Kyle's in trouble!" Hannah chanted, happy to be out of her mother's wrath.  
  
"You know what, mon papillon." Kyle turned to Hannah.  
  
"What?" She started to back up to hide behind Liz.  
  
"Oh, no you don't." Liz slid out of the way. "You deserve it."  
  
"I think you're the one in trouble."  
  
"Mommy!" Hannah stomped her foot as Kyle continued towards her.  
  
Kyle picked up Hannah as effortlessly as he had Liz and walked to the water's edge. "Mommy!"  
  
Liz followed along and right when he got to the edge, gave him a tiny shove and he fell straight into the water.  
  
A heavy water fight ensued.  
  
****  
  
Hannah wandered over with a yawn and frowned at the baby in Liz's lap. Sure she had seen other babies at daycare but they had never directly affected her.  
  
This one was taking her space in her mother's lap.  
  
"Come on, Hannah." Liz smiled encouragingly at Hannah's hesitation. "She's awake right now, come look at her.  
  
Hannah looked down at the other little girl in her Mother's arms. "What's her name."  
  
"Kailyn." Liz told her.  
  
"I have a friend named Kaitlyn."  
  
"There isn't a T its just Kailyn."  
  
"Oh. Never mind." Hannah shook her head as she patted the soft hair on her head. It was jet black but the eyes that stared up at her in wide fascination were blue. "She has blue eyes."  
  
"They might not stay that color. Babies are usually born with blue eyes."  
  
"Did I have blue eyes?"  
  
"Not for very long." Liz shook her head.  
  
"Now they look like his." Hannah said and stared at the baby. "Does Kailyn have a mommy and daddy?"  
  
"Well, not really."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Sometimes Mommies and daddies aren't always ready to have babies. Kailyn's were not. So now Grandma Amy and Grandpa Jim are keeping her while they get ready."  
  
"Oh." She snuggled down into her mother's warmth. "I love you, Mommy." She whispered.  
  
"I love you too, sweetheart."  
  
****  
  
"Maria, you never told me about your date last night." Liz grinned.  
  
"Ugh." Maria plopped down with a smile. "It was ok."  
  
"Maria, that look says it was more than ok."  
  
"Well, it was great." Maria kept her head as well as her voice down. Hannah was still curled up in Liz's lap.  
  
"Tell me about him."  
  
"Well, he was tall, well you saw him so you know his appearance." Maria started. "He was polite in a rude way."  
  
"What?" Liz raised her eyebrows in confusion.  
  
"Well, he opened doors and such, roughly, like he didn't really want to. He got a few glares from Isabel so I think she was sort of forced into it. Alex and Isabel seemed rather cozy, although Isabel seemed a little more reserved." Maria observed.  
  
"Isabel's always been shy." Liz thought out loud. "She seems freer when she's with Alex." Liz observed. "I haven't seen them together but twice, and she always seemed to be comfortable enough around him."  
  
"Yes, she was very comfortable with him. After dinner they went on their own for a while, and I was left with Michael."  
  
"Where'd they go?"  
  
"Alex is on a don't ask don't tell policy." Maria smiled. "Which means I'll pry it out of him tonight."  
  
"I know you will."  
  
"How was Max?" Maria asked more delicately.  
  
"It went well." Liz nodded. She hadn't exactly sorted out her feelings for herself. "Hannah got along well enough."  
  
"He wants to see her again?"  
  
"Yeah." Liz nodded. She looked down at her baby. She reminded Liz so much of Max. Her smile, and her eyes.  
  
Tomorrow, Liz would tell Max, she had to.  
  
"Next weekend?"  
  
"Yeah." There was no reason for anyone to know about their meeting tomorrow that was between her and Max. Max's interest had seemed sincere enough to convince her, they would go from there.  
  
Tomorrow she was planning on telling him. It wasn't going to be easy. What a nice surprise for him. Two days after meeting his daughter he gets told that she has a congenital heart defect.  
  
When she really thought on it, it had been the same for her except it had been hours after birth that she had learned of the extent of Hannah's heart problems.  
  
"Be careful, Liz." Maria said.  
  
"I will be." Liz assured her.  
  
****  
  
"Serena, I have a question to ask." Liz joined Serena at the table.  
  
"Shoot." Serena said, her heart already filled with dread.  
  
"What exactly did I walk in on yesterday evening?" Liz said outright. "In the four years I've been here, you two can't stand being in the same room together, let alone in the apartment by yourselves."  
  
"I told you, Liz, we were just arguing over a mishap at the hospital." She smiled a bit uneasily.  
  
"Serena, please don't lie to me." Liz asked desperately. "My feelings are already so mixed up about Kyle right now." Liz continued when Serena raised an eyebrow. "Your accent grows thicker when you're lying. Don't worry, I can't lie for anything either."  
  
"Liz." Serena started.  
  
"Serena, Hannah's father just came back. I won't lie to you; I loved him at one point in time. I thought I was close to being over it. But, evidently I'm not. Seeing him again makes my heart beat 800 times a minute. I love Kyle, but not with the same intensity and that's very unsettling to know, Serena. Now please tell me what I walked in on yesterday."  
  
Serena was silent for a time. "Liz."  
  
"I would ask Kyle, but I'd rather ask you first."  
  
"We were together." Serena blurted out. "Before you came, we had just broken up."  
  
Liz sat stunned.  
  
"I thought it would be ok, I thought that going away to college would do me some good and I would grow out of it. What do you think it felt like for me when I discovered how close you two were when I returned?"  
  
"I tried to push my feelings down, but they bubbled to the surface. We didn't part as friends and so, it made it worse." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Liz. I promise you nothing is going to happen between us. All Kyle wanted to know was if we could be friends. It's an question I'm not ready to answer. Not even to myself." She stood from the table and took her plate to the sink. Taking a quick breath she turned and looked Liz in the eye. "Yes, I think I still have feelings for him, but I promise nothing, and I mean nothing, will ever be between us again." She said it with such fervor and such pain, Liz wondered what could have gone so horribly in her friend's life.  
  
With those last words, Serena turned and exited the room.  
  
****  
  
"Where did you spend your day?" Max asked his sister.  
  
"With Alex." She snuggled next to him. She would never be too old to do so.  
  
"Were Liz and Hannah there?"  
  
"Yeah. Maria's mother, Amy Valenti, just got a new foster baby. Liz fell head over heels for her. It was so adorable to see." Isabel said.  
  
Max's heart clenched.  
  
"Hannah was hesitant around her but warmed quickly. We had fun." Isabel said tiredly.  
  
"Isabel, you didn't come home last night." Max stated.  
  
"And?" She smiled. She had never before given any reason for her brother to get extremely protective and watch her every move, it was a new and thrilling sensation.  
  
"Am I going to need to have a.talk.with Alex?" Max asked, his arm wrapping tightly around her.  
  
"No. Not yet." Isabel decided she'd better keep him waiting.  
  
"Isabel."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I love Liz."  
  
"Max." She froze. My God, she'd never heard him say that before. "Have you told her?"  
  
"Haven't gotten around to it yet."  
  
"Max, that's not something you just get around to."  
  
"I know."  
  
"It will make a difference, when will you tell her?"  
  
"I don't know yet." Max said. "This is the first time I've said it aloud."  
  
"Oh, Max, just tell her." Isabel was speechless.  
  
"I will, when the timing's right." 


	23. First Day of School

[b]Chapter 23[/b]  
  
"Wake up, Hannah." Liz stood over Hannah.  
  
"No." She pulled the pillow over her head.  
  
"It's time for kindergarten." Liz tried.  
  
"No!" Hannah rolled over. Of all times to be a lazy riser, Liz rolled her eyes.  
  
"Come on, Hannah bean."  
  
"Fine." She threw off the covers with exaggerated movements.  
  
"You know you're excited." Liz tickled her cheek.  
  
"Yes." She nodded her head. "You take me?"  
  
"Of course, my love." Liz hugged her daughter. "Now get up so that we can get ready."  
  
"Ok." She smiled. "You're going to pick me up?"  
  
"Yes." She wanted to tell her that Max was going to pick her up as well but she wanted it to be a surprise.  
  
"How do you want your hair?" Liz asked when Hannah settled down enough in front of her so she could actually comb it.  
  
"Princess style." She said automatically.  
  
"Alright.  
  
"Can we go see Kailyn today?"  
  
"Maybe." Liz smiled when she thought of the baby.  
  
"Grandma Amy says she'll be there for a few months."  
  
"She probably will, so you'll get to know her well enough." Liz felt the baby soft hair on Hannah's head.  
  
Her baby was going to kindergarten.  
  
And her baby's father knew nothing about her.  
  
"Hi, Serena!" Hannah smiled at her.  
  
"Morning, Cutie Pie." She smiled at her. "Ready for your first day of kindergarten?"  
  
"Yes." She was becoming more excited by the moment. "Is it time?"  
  
"Not yet, Hannah."  
  
"Oh, hurry, Mommy." She stomped her foot.  
  
"If we leave now you'll be too early."  
  
"Please." Hannah drawled and put on a pout.  
  
"Aww, Liz, how can you resist that? Just take the girl to school." Serena sided.  
  
"Fine, fine, two against one, you win Hannah."  
  
"Yes!" She grabbed her purple lunch pale and went for the door.  
  
"Slow down, Hannah." Liz picked up her keys and purse.  
  
"I'll see you later, Serena." Liz met her eyes. "If he calls." She emphasized he. "Tell him I'll be back in a half hour."  
  
"Which he?" Serena asked, she stared at the floor, it was easy talking with Hannah there as an unknowing mediator.  
  
Liz's gaze slid toward Hannah and Serena got the meaning. "Will do."  
  
****  
  
Liz surveyed the teacher as they neared the classroom. This is woman she would trust her daughter to for four hours a day.  
  
She was older, maybe early fifties, which pleased Liz because she had experience. She had already met her once before at "kindergarten round- up". Mrs. Howell.  
  
Hannah's grip tightened, "It's alright, Hannah bean, you met Mrs. Howell."  
  
"Good morning, Hannah." The old woman's eyes sparkled. "Are you ready for kindergarten?"  
  
Hannah shook her head and turned into Liz leg. "Mommy."  
  
"Now, Hannah, we'll have a fun time, here, and in just a few hours Mommy's going to come pick you up."  
  
"No." Liz hadn't been expecting a refusal.  
  
"Hannah bean." Liz bent down to hold her child in her arms. "It's just like day care."  
  
"No." The thought of her mother leaving her here, where she didn't know anybody was terrifying. "Don't go." She whispered as she tightened her grip around her neck.  
  
"It's alright." Liz pulled her aside to so the other terrified four and five year olds could enter. "Hannah, it'll be fine, and imagine what you could tell Kyle, and...and...Max." She whispered in French. "You'd want to tell them what a brave little girl you'd been right?"  
  
She nodded comforted. "I'll be good."  
  
"Alright, are you going to go in there like the big girl I know you are?"  
  
"Yes, Mommy." She hugged Liz one more time before she straightened and wiped her eyes.  
  
"Come on." Liz stood once more as well, her heart breaking as she watched her little girl enter and sit where the teacher had marked at the small tables.  
  
"Was french her first or second language, Ms. Parker?"  
  
"Her first word was Mama so I don't exactly know. She speaks both equally." Liz shrugged. It wasn't abnormal for a child in Southern California to know Spanish, but French was a little different.  
  
"Where did she learn it?" She asked curious.  
  
"Her grandparents." She said automatically. Amy and Jim were her grandparents, much more so than her own parent could ever be.  
  
"Interesting." Mrs. Howell explained. "Now, about Hannah's heart."  
  
"She usually knows her limits and she knows to tell you if she doesn't feel well." Liz said quickly.  
  
"I know, I'm sure she does." She reassured the young mother. "But there's nothing special you want me to look out for?"  
  
"Not in particular." Liz racked her brain for anything. "And she'll be home for her afternoon meds so you don't have to worry about that."  
  
"Yes." She smiled. "Now, if you don't mind I have a class of nervous kindergartners, I have to get to it, Hannah will be fine."  
  
"Thank you." Liz took one more look in the classroom and found Hannah. Hannah gave her a little wave letting her know she was ok. Her throat clogged up as she turned. There were a dozen other mothers standing there as well, a few fathers interspersed.  
  
"Don't worry, I can tell she's your first?" A woman with a two-year-old in her arms, and another clearly on the way, asked her as they walked to the parking lot.  
  
"Yes." Liz said embarrassed, she didn't want to be labeled the overprotective mother.  
  
"I've done this four times before, and it never gets any easier." Liz's mind was boggled at the thought of so many children. But the thought was comforting; here was a seasoned mother she could talk to.  
  
"My little girl, Natalie, was the one your daughter was with, Hannah, wasn't it?"  
  
"Yes." Her Hannah.  
  
"Well, how would you like to follow me over to my place for a while and we can wallow over our lost babies together?" Liz looked down at her watch, she could afford it, she had time to kill and the less she thought about Max the faster the day would go.  
  
"Why not?" Liz shrugged.  
  
****  
  
"I have four other children beside Natalie and Conner." Melissa, as she had learned her name was, pointed to the two-year-old.  
  
"So many." Liz whispered before she could stop herself.  
  
"Yeah, that's a common reaction." She smiled and patted her belly. "I swore this one would be the last. My husband and I enjoy having young ones around."  
  
"I can understand that." She missed Hannah's constantly sticky hands and her childish laughter. Dear God, she was making it sound like she was going off to college, it was only kindergarten! She tried to tell herself.  
  
"Hannah's your only?"  
  
"Yeah, for now." Liz smiled wondering if Max was going to want more children.  
  
The thought brought a frown to her face. She couldn't think like that. She could not think in terms of when, she had to keep out and think if, only if.  
  
"Something wrong, dear?"  
  
"No." Liz shook her head. "Tell me about your children."  
  
"Well, my oldest is in eighth, Ethan, then Jennifer, sixth, Autumn, fourth, Ben, second, Natalie, Conner and the new baby."  
  
"Wow." Liz still could quite imagine a houseful of so many children. It would be wonderful.  
  
"You're planning to have more, you said?"  
  
"Yeah, I would like to."  
  
"What does Hannah's father think?"  
  
"He doesn't."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Liz." She realized her fault, not everyone had a happy marriage these days. Or were married at all.  
  
"It isn't really something we've discussed. I was so young when I had Hannah."  
  
Melissa realized the use of I. "It's alright, you don't have to talk about it, I always have a tendency to stick my nose where it doesn't belong."  
  
"It's alright." Liz looked down at her watch. It was ten thirty. "I really have to be going."  
  
"Oh, all right." She said flustered. "You will call though?"  
  
"Yes, yes." Liz nodded.  
  
"We'll probably be getting to know each other very well over the coming years. Ethan met his current best friend in kindergarten, on the first day. So did all my other children." She smiled.  
  
Liz laughed, that's when her and Isabel had become best friends. "Yeah, I met my best friend in kindergarten too."  
  
"Alright then, I'll see you at noon."  
  
"Yes, you will." Liz left the house feeling happier that Hannah seemed to already found a friend and she had gotten to spend the morning talking about her daughter's first day of school with someone who understood.  
  
****  
  
"Mr. Evans your mother called and wanted to speak with you." The young secretary was flustered. God he was gorgeous, and he was only a few years older than she was.  
  
"Was it urgent?" He paused in the doorway, he'd be late if he had to call her back right now.  
  
"With your mother it's always urgent but no, it wasn't work related."  
  
"Alright, I'll be back in two hours."  
  
"Where shall I say you will be?" She asked.  
  
"Lunch meeting, with..." my daughter, he had been about to say. It was about to just flow right off his tongue. "some very important clients." He amended.  
  
"Alright." She watched him leave. Yeah, he was gorgeous.  
  
****  
  
Liz ran the brush through her hair one last time.  
  
The doorbell rang. This would be it.  
  
"Hello, Max." She opened the door without looking. "Kyle."  
  
"Good morning to you too, Liz, expecting someone?" He leaned against the doorpost.  
  
"Yes, I do believe she was." Max stepped behind him. His gaze scanning the man in the doorway.  
  
They eyed each other, each fighting for control. Neither was willing to back down.  
  
"Alright you two, stop it." Liz stepped between them. "Kyle I really wished you had called, I had planned to go out with Max, before picking up Hannah."  
  
"I've never had to call before, sweetheart." Liz winced at the pet name.  
  
"I know, but I'd appreciate it if you did."  
  
"Fine." He looked between them, if he wasn't careful Max was going to spring.  
  
Kyle slid a protective hand around her waist and propelled her into the apartment, "Excuse us a moment, would you?" He shut the door.  
  
Max glared, he knew Liz hated when she was directed somewhere especially in that way, if you wanted her to go somewhere, you asked her.  
  
"Kyle what are you doing?" Liz exploded into rapid French.  
  
"Trying to talk some sense into you." He said right back, just as angrily.  
  
"He's going to hear you!"  
  
"He can't understand anyway, what in the hell are you doing Liz? You hadn't told me you were planning on seeing him today."  
  
"Kyle you've got skeletons in your closet, I've got mine." She stated in a calm voice, controlling herself.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Just guess Kyle, just guess." She didn't realize how angry she was at him for not telling her about Serena. "Now, before you get mad at me for not telling you something after two days, think about the plank in your eye before you take the splinter out of mine." She walked to the door and closed it softly behind her.  
  
"We haven't gotten over each other Kyle, what makes you think she'll get over her daughter's father?" Serena stood in the doorway from her room, though she hadn't understood a word that had been said.  
  
He glared at her before turning to walk back out the door.  
  
"Sit, Kyle, we really need to talk." Serena pointed towards the couch.  
  
"Alright." He knew it had been coming, he had asked her himself, hadn't he?  
  
****  
  
Max's eyes were still flaming when Liz walked out.  
  
Alright, she knew how to deal with him once, how much could have changed?  
  
She walked past him without saying anything knowing he would follow. She could feel his temper seething and his eyes burning into the back of her neck.  
  
"I wasn't expecting him."  
  
"Obviously." He tried to get a hold on his temper. He didn't need to be mad. He needed to think straight so he could talk rationally with Liz. "I'm sorry, Liz, I have no right to be angry with you."  
  
That threw her off for a moment. She hadn't been expecting such an easy agreement. "Oh, well..." She didn't know what to say.  
  
"Where'd you learn to speak French?"  
  
"Kyle." She said smoothing down her pant leg. "I was thinking we could walk to pick her up, it's only down the street a little ways. Unless you had something else planned."  
  
"No, I was just wanting to talk with you." He told her.  
  
"Oh, well then." She didn't want to just start in on Hannah, but it looked like there really was no choice. "Well, nothing in particular?"  
  
"No...well...us?"  
  
"What about us?" She asked stunned.  
  
"My relationship with Hannah." With you, he wanted to say.  
  
"What about it?" Liz wondered. She knew he would never try to take Hannah away from her.  
  
"Will you let one grow between us?" Would she allow it, even if his relationship with Liz was unable to be maintained.  
  
"Of course." Hannah deserved to know her father. "If you promise not to hurt her." He knew he wouldn't not intentionally.  
  
"I was thinking, that maybe one weekend, maybe, she could spend a weekend with me. Not anytime soon yet. She still doesn't know me well, but just once, if she didn't like it then never again."  
  
Liz was stunned. No, not too fast. "We'll see." Same answer she gave to Hannah when the answer was no.  
  
"Liz, don't do the 'we'll see' routine." He shook his head wondering if all mothers did that. "I hated when my mom gave me that answer."  
  
"Sorry." She really wasn't. What better way to give herself longer to come up with an excuse? "Well, Hannah." Hannah has a heart condition that's going to be operated on in three weeks and then we'll see if she makes it out of surgery and then we'll see if she can go to your house. That wasn't going to work.  
  
"Hannah's a little skittish around people she doesn't know. And she still likes to sleep in my bed, and she's never been away from me for longer than one night. And when she was, she was with Grandma Amy and Grandpa Jim." She rushed.  
  
They walked into the schoolyard, but hung back a bit from the other parents so they can talk without the other mommy's hearing. "Who's Grandma Amy and Grandpa Jim?" He asked.  
  
"Kyle's parents." She realized how that sounded and regretted it the second she said it. "That didn't..."  
  
"I understand he's been around, so have they."  
  
"No, it's not like that, Max. They've been around since Hannah's birth." Liz tried to defend herself. "When TOP workers came, and I was scared." She stopped. Dear God, she had gone too far.  
  
"The who and why?" He asked turning her towards him.  
  
Liz stared into his eyes then down to where her hand was holding her facing him. His grip was firm but gentle. She couldn't have moved if her life depended on it, yet she felt nothing except fire spreading throughout her body.  
  
She was saved when she heard a familiar voice. "Liz, hello!"  
  
Max dropped his arm and wanted to glare at the other woman with the two- year-old on her hip.  
  
"Hi, Melissa." Liz turned quickly to the woman. "Conner."  
  
"Hi!" Conner waved.  
  
"Max, this is Melissa, and her son Conner. Mel, this is Max."  
  
"Hello." Melissa eyed him and spotted the similarities to Hannah and connected the dots. "You must be Hannah's father."  
  
Max caught Liz's eye on what to do. She gave a shrug and looked at the ground.  
  
"Technically, yes." He answered.  
  
"Oh." Melissa cursed herself again and shifted Conner on her hip.  
  
"Mommy!" They were all saved from the awkward situation. There were about twenty-five of the same shouts but Max watched in fascination as Liz quickly picked out the one belonging to Hannah and turned towards her.  
  
"Hello, Hannah bean." Liz scooped her up and squeezed her to her.  
  
"Hi." Hannah said shyly when she saw Max. Her eyes lit up. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Your mother thought it would be nice if I came along, if you don't mind."  
  
"No!" Then she turned back to Liz. "Can Nat come over to the apartment?"  
  
"Not today, we're going to stay with Max and then you have a doctor's appointment." Liz explained.  
  
"Oh." She didn't like the thought of the doctor's office, and laid her head on her mother's shoulder, suddenly becoming sad.  
  
"I'm sorry, maybe another day."  
  
"Yeah, maybe another day. Come on, Natalie." Melissa turned away with Natalie in tow, as she waved bye to Hannah.  
  
"See you tomorrow."  
  
"Bye, Nat." Hannah called. Darn doctors. "No, doctor's, Mommy, I breathe fine." She took a deep breath to prove it.  
  
She coughed after that and Liz frowned. So did Max.  
  
Was Hannah sick? He wondered to himself. If she was, why hadn't Liz told him? But Hannah's knowing of the doctor, and easy acceptance made him doubtful that this was not a temporary thing.  
  
"Someone going to fill me in?"  
  
Liz knew she should have told him, before he found out. Now, he was going to be angry, which he had every right to be.  
  
"My heart's sick." Hannah said helpfully.  
  
Liz groaned inwardly.  
  
Max raised an eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest much as Hannah did when she wanted to know something.  
  
"Come back to the apartment, and I'll tell you." Liz said.  
  
Max nodded and began walking back. 


	24. First Day of School Part 2

Chapter 24  
  
The small group sat around Liz's kitchen table in her apartment.  
  
Max looked around knowing her house would be spotless. Everything was neat and had its place, except the front room. There was an array of toys. They were splayed out across the floor as if she had made no attempt to clean it up.  
  
Hannah was currently chatting, unaware of the tension between her parents. Liz had made them a delicious entrée of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cut into pretty little stars (no crusts of course) accompanied by a glass of milk.  
  
Max liked it better than any of his lunches at any one of the fancy restaurants that could be found in South County.  
  
"Natalie says that babies cry a lot, but Kailyn doesn't cry a lot." Hannah explained. "I like Kailyn."  
  
"And who is Kailyn?" Max asked generally interested in his daughter's life. "And Natalie."  
  
"Natalie's my best friend." Hannah said excitedly. "I met her today."  
  
"You've known her for one day, Hannah bean, and she's already your best friend?" Liz asked smiling at her daughter's excitement.  
  
"Yes." Hannah gave her mother a look like she was crazy. "And Kailyn," she turned to Max, "Is Grandpa Jim and Grandma Amy's new baby."  
  
"Really?" Max asked.  
  
"Foster baby." Liz clarified. "Although Jim and Amy really aren't that old."  
  
"They took care of me when I was a baby." Hannah said proudly.  
  
"Did they?" She had already told him this on Sunday, but he didn't mind hearing her say it all over again.  
  
"Yeah, they still do, when Mommy's working." He loved the way she rolled her 'y's making them sound like 'l's.  
  
"Natalie has lots of brother's and sisters."  
  
"Seven of them." Liz put in.  
  
"How come I don't?"  
  
Max and Liz both froze. What a time to ask that question.  
  
"Because Mommy doesn't have any other babies but you." Liz said weakly, wishing that would be enough to appease her daughter.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because your mother's not ready for another baby right now." Max entered. "Babies take a lot of work." And next time I'll be here to help her.  
  
"Do you have other babies?" Hannah asked Max.  
  
"Only you." He smiled.  
  
"Oh." It felt weird to think of herself as his. She didn't know him.  
  
Hannah's head started to droop and Liz knew that her midday medications were starting to kick in. She hated the fact that Hannah's medications made her sleepy but she knew that they were only temporary and were necessary before she went into surgery.  
  
"Are you tired?" Liz asked gently smoothing her hair back.  
  
"Yeah." Hannah answered honestly. She knew she had to else her mother wouldn't believe her next time, when she really wasn't. Her mother's hand was comforting on her forehead and she suddenly felt the heavy need to be in her mother's arms. "Up."  
  
"Alright." Liz lifted her up out of her booster seat and cradled her in her arms.  
  
Hannah curled up even though the July air was stifling hot.  
  
Max smiled in awe at the young girl in her mother's lap. They all three jumped when the phone rang suddenly.  
  
Liz scooped Hannah against her as she got up to answer the phone.  
  
"Hi, Amy." Liz answered. "Yes, she's right here, just a second."  
  
"Hi, Grandma." Hannah said eagerly into the phone.  
  
Max smiled over at her delight, knowing she had a close bond with the people she had grown up with.  
  
"Amy Valenti?" Max asked.  
  
"Yeah. She wanted to see how Hannah's day went." She smiled.  
  
Max nodded. There was a child-size dress hanging from the bedroom doorway and Max guessed Liz was air-drying it. Everything was so homey here. Hannah was clearly comfortable.  
  
Max looked back to Hannah when she giggled and her face lit up. "Hi, Kyle!"  
  
Liz straightened as did Max. He relaxed his stance when Hannah let out another giggle.  
  
"He wants to talk to you." Hannah handed Liz the phone. Liz took the phone, plopped Hannah into Max's lap and got up to go into the other room.  
  
Max's arms automatically came up around Hannah so she would slip from his lap. It was the first time he had held his daughter in his arms. His heart beat rapidly in his chest when she looked up at him stunned.  
  
She slid from his lap and ran over to Liz and held her pant leg. She stared at Max and looked up at her mother who was arguing softly in French with Kyle.  
  
Max's heart dropped his daughter would hug him, talk to him, smile at him, but she wouldn't allow him to hold her.  
  
Liz frowned down at Hannah obviously disappointed in her actions but then she remembered Hannah could be shy at times.  
  
"Au revoir, Kyle." She said into the phone before hanging up. She picked up Hannah and went back to join Max at the table. "Sorry, they wanted to know what her first day was like."  
  
"It's alright." Max smiled still a little hurt by Hannah's actions, yet he understood.  
  
A little.  
  
Hannah cuddled into Liz's lap and this time she let sleep take over as she closed her eyes and her breathing evened out.  
  
"She sleeps easily." Max smiled.  
  
"It's her medications." Liz said automatically. Their eyes locked. Liz knew she couldn't put it off any longer. "Let me go lay her down and I'll explain something to you."  
  
She left the door open a little bit so she could hear her if anything happened.  
  
"I'm going to explain something to you, Max, I need you not to interrupt, or ask questions. I did what I had to do, I don't regret any of it." Liz looked him straight in the eye.  
  
"When I moved out here, in July of that year, I went to the clinic for a check-up, we found Hannah had an unusual heart rhythm." She picked up her plate and walked back to the sink. She scrubbed Hannah's dish and matching cup and placed them in the dish rack. "When I found out I was frantic, on the verge of calling you. But I didn't." She took a deep breath leaving out the part of being alone and frightened in a place she didn't know about.  
  
"Then, when she was born, she had a series of holes in her heart. She was born a month early, that isn't unusual. They fixed the smaller holes in a series of surgeries. We had the bigger one fixed when she was two. Now, they have to go in and reinforce the patches they put on the heart. It's her final one, but the most dangerous."  
  
Max sat stunned, studying the look on her face.  
  
"We have a doctor appointment today, and he's going to provide new medications for the next three weeks. Surgery is in August. You may notice she's short of breath, from just walking across the room. That's when Kyle and I took her in again, when she was having trouble breathing."  
  
"Oh." Kyle again.  
  
He didn't know what to say.  
  
"Hannah's not small because I'm small, Max. I'm short, but not that short. She can't take enough oxygen in so she doesn't grow." She smiled sadly. "She'll grow a bit better once she's totally fixed, but not much, she's destined to be small."  
  
"There's nothing wrong with small women." Max muttered.  
  
"Easy for you to say." Liz shot back.  
  
"Why didn't you come to me?"  
  
"Because the moment I left Roswell, I was done running to people. When they handed me Hannah after an emergency C-Section, I stopped being a little girl, Max, and Hannah became mine to protect and love." She said fiercely.  
  
"Yours and Kyle's." He said before he could stop himself.  
  
"Don't talk to me about Kyle." Not until I understand it myself.  
  
"Fine." He left that point alone. "When exactly is her next surgery?"  
  
"She's off-track in August and beginning so she's ready to go back to school in September, but I think they might try to push it back."  
  
"I want to be there."  
  
She took a deep breath beginning to deny him. She felt so helpless during her surgeries and it took all her power to keep herself under control. She didn't need him causing more pressure. Then she remembered Hannah was his daughter as well.  
  
It felt so different having to share Hannah. But Hannah wasn't his; she was hers, and hers alone.  
  
"I'll think about it." She said turning to the sink.  
  
"What's there to think about?"  
  
"Max, you weren't here for four years, you cannot expect me to relinquish my place as her sole caretaker right away. When you signed those papers she became mine alone, not ours, mine." She didn't want to bring it up; she didn't want anything to do with the custody papers she had failed to turn back into court. The ones tucked in her drawer that she was scared someone would notice were missing. She had no idea how no one had noticed they weren't there.  
  
"Liz." It hurt. It haunted him Everytime he thought about it. "Don't."  
  
"Don't try to take her from me." Her eyes pleaded. Suddenly all of her securities of Max not taking her suddenly fled. What if he decided he wanted them back? What could she do? She herself had not turned in the papers forfeiting any protection from the law. They won't see that she was the one that had taken care of her for four years, all they'll see is Max and the fact that he had enough money to not need help from the government. He's stable, has a steady job, and lives in a townhouse somewhere in Anaheim Hills.  
  
He stood abruptly when her eyes filled with tears. He hated seeing her cry, he always had.  
  
"Don't cry, Liz. I wasn't going to, please don't cry." It hurt to see tears in her eyes. Did she really think that he would take Hannah from her?  
  
"Max, she's all I have. Don't take her away." Tears fell freely.  
  
He crossed to her and took her in his arms before thinking. You have me too; he wanted to shout at her. I'll be here; I'm not leaving you alone again.  
  
"Liz, I wasn't even thinking it. I just want to be a part of her life. I can see how happy she is with you. Her reliance on you is incredible. The bond you have is unbreakable. Don't worry about that, Liz." He pulled her away from him and looked her in the eye. It was so comfortable to be in each other's arms they didn't notice they were there. "Liz, Hannah's incredible. I would never dream of breaking that. Understand?"  
  
She nodded. He pressed a kiss to her temple.  
  
She rested her head against his shoulder. "What are we gonna do, Max?" The comfort that came from the gesture was far too soothing.  
  
"I don't know." He breathed out. He pushed her away, gently. "I have to go." If he didn't, he was going to kiss her.  
  
Liz straightened her spine.  
  
"Are you going to say goodbye to Hannah?" Liz asked.  
  
"She's asleep."  
  
"No, she's not. Look." Liz tilted her head towards the bedroom.  
  
Hannah was standing peering out into the room. "Come out, and say goodbye, Hannah bean."  
  
"Bye." She said cautiously walking closer.  
  
"Goodbye, Hannah." Max said crouching down.  
  
"I'm glad I got to talk to you on your first day of school." He said seriously.  
  
"Me too." She hugged him briefly.  
  
"Goodbye, Liz." He turned to her. God he loved her and it was killing him to have to leave her and Hannah behind.  
  
"Bye, Max. We'll call."  
  
"Alright." He nodded.  
  
[b]TBC[/b] 


	25. For Love or Money

**[b] Hi Everyone! I was just thinking as I start this next part about Max. He's one of the reasons why it takes me forever between the chapters. A few months ago I was ready to turn this into a loyalist fic because I was so angry with Max myself. Then my dreamer self just couldn't let that happen so I'm trying my best to move them slowly back together. I hope I'm not moving too fast and as I've said before, Liz isn't young anymore; she's old enough to know what's right for her and her child. As much as she loves Max, she has Hannah to worry about and she won't give in easily to Max's charms. Have faith!  
  
I know it's been forever, and I'm sorry. As I explained to some before it's AP season and that has taken up a lot of my time. I promise Two Kinds will be up within the next few weeks. I'm almost done with the next chapter of it. I haven't fully figured out how I want it to go. But I know what exactly is going to happen. Sorry again!  
  
Here you go!  
  
Mattie  
  
Chapter 25 [/b]**  
  
Max drove easily back to work almost reluctant to go back. He had so much to think about, so much to wonder.  
  
If he had been in Liz's position would he forgive himself?  
  
In all technicalities, she had left him, not wanting to be found, she could be just as much to blame for running away.  
  
He shook himself for even thinking the thought. He knew that she knew he could easily find her if he had really wanted to. He remembered how scared she had been about having Hannah. The way she had clung to him when they had told their parents. He had a feeling Liz wouldn't cling to anyone now. Except maybe Kyle.  
  
Alex was 'Uncle Alex' where as Kyle was just 'Kyle'. What did that mean and why? How much of a bond was there between him and Hannah, him and Liz? This was a whole other factor that needed to be added into the long equation that was their lives.  
  
He remembered back to when their relationship had been so simple. They were just a boy and a girl dating.  
  
_[I]  
  
As children him, Liz and Isabel had been close friends. They were the children of the wealthiest, most influential people in Roswell, they were respected by the other children, maybe even feared, leaving them on the outside of all the play circles.  
  
Maybe they were drawn together through necessity or the demands of their parents, but the bond held them tight.  
  
It didn't help that Max and Liz had proceeded to be the top of the class excluding them further.  
  
He remembered at the age of twelve when the feelings of friendships changed into something else. She became shy and withdrawn around him and he blushed easily in her presence. Isabel grew annoyed with them, knowing they both liked each other.  
  
They now understood their parent's teasing about them marrying and bringing the two families together.  
  
The flirtation continued on throughout their high school career. Then at the age of sixteen when they had been allowed to attend their first formal gathering with their parents' friends in Albuquerque, the truth came out.  
  
They had been left alone a little too long, and Max suspected it was no accident on Isabel's part. They had been tentative and shy, not really wanting their parents to know. No one really knew, it was a secret. Max and Liz. The only other person who had known was Isabel.  
  
At seventeen they decided it was in their best interest to tell their parents but to make it look as if it were a new development. Their parents had been ecstatic. They had applauded them and joked about one day being in the same family.  
  
Then six months before Hannah's conception they had been discovered outside on the terrace, announcing to the world that they were in fact a couple.  
  
Six months later Liz had made the announcement that she was pregnant.  
  
Three months later she was gone.  
  
Looking back now he realizes he should have stuck by her. Seeing how strong she was now only made him wish he could have been there to see her develop.  
  
[/I]  
_  
Max returned to his present state of mind when his cell phone rang.  
  
"Hello."  
  
"Max." His mother's voice came through the phone.  
  
"I was just about to call you back, Mother."  
  
"Sure, that doesn't matter. Max, I have something to tell you about Hannah." Diane stated. "Are you driving, maybe you should pull over." She said worriedly.  
  
"Does this have anything to do with her heart?"  
  
"Yes, how'd you know?" She said stunned.  
  
"I just came from Liz's, Mom." He rubbed a hand over his eyes.  
  
"She told you?" Diane said stunned on the other side.  
  
"Yes, Mom." He said glancing at his watch.  
  
"Did she tell you about her money situation?"  
  
"What money situation?" They seemed pretty ok, the apartment seemed nice and Hannah had looked happy.  
  
"She doesn't have very much of it, Max."  
  
"What? Her trust fund was larger than mine, what do you mean she doesn't have any money?"  
  
"Her trust fund was frozen when she left."  
  
"They can't do that!" He had to calm himself down enough not to brake in the middle of the busy freeway.  
  
"Her parents found a way to do so. She works two jobs, Max, she they're moving in a few weeks." Diane explained.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Liz can't afford it anymore." Diane said wearily. She looked down at the files she had received earlier. "She wants to go to college, supposedly."  
  
Max's heart hurt. Liz had loved to learn. She had always dreamed of going to Harvard and being head of microbiology. She hadn't even gotten the chance to attend any college. To raise their child.  
  
"She deserves college, Mom." Max pulled into the parking lot of his law office. He sat in the car staring straight ahead.  
  
"What are you going to do about it?" She asked patiently. She felt guilty for taking part in Liz leaving.  
  
"I don't know, Mom, find a way to unfreeze her trust funds, and do it fast." He demanded. "I'll handle her temporarily."  
  
There was no way she would accept any money from him, his family, or her parents. He hadn't even spoken with her parents since she left four years before.  
  
"I don't know if I can do that." Diane heaved a sigh, it would be one large battle, one she wasn't sure she was prepared to face.  
  
"Mom, please." Max pleaded. "Only you have the can to do that."  
  
"I'll try, sweetheart." Diane gave into the pleading of her son.  
  
"Thank you. I'll talk to you later, I have a meeting right now." He glanced at his watch and already knew he was going to be late.  
  
"Alright, bye Max."  
  
"Bye."  
  
"What are you doing, Grandma?" Hannah asked the next day at Amy and Jim Valenti's house.  
  
"Making a doll, my love." She had thought the young girl was sleeping.  
  
"For what?" She crawled in her lap, heedless of the sewing materials already there.  
  
"For Kailyn." She answered glancing at the baby sleeping in the crib across the room.  
  
"I help?" Hannah asked staring at the pieces of cloth.  
  
"Yes, you can help me choose the colors." Amy said gently holding up two cloths. She knew the child would have a hard life and she was already dreading the fact that it looked like her mother would get her back. If she went back she probably would end up back in the system at the age of five. She thought she'd make something that could be with her always.  
  
"Purple?" Hannah asked hopefully.  
  
"Purple is a good color." She nodded. "[I]Pourpre[/I]"  
  
Hannah dutifully repeated the word in French she was always getting her colors wrong.  
  
Hannah sat patiently as she watched Amy carefully stitch the dress on the dolls cloth body.  
  
"Will you make me one too? To match Kailyn's?" She asked suddenly.  
  
"Yes, after we're finished with this one. Do you want it in purple too or a different color?"  
  
"Pink!"  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Grandpa!" Hannah said when Jim Valenti came home.  
  
"Hello, little girl!" He said coming over to kiss the top of her head.  
  
"Look!" She held up the doll.  
  
"Careful, Hannah, the head's not on right. Hold her like I told you to hold Kailyn." Amy directed softly.  
  
"Like this?" She cradled the doll against her body.  
  
"Yes, very good." Jim applauded. "Speaking of Kailyn, did we hear from the social worker?" He plucked his shoes off and lifted Hannah into his lap.  
  
"Whose?" Amy stood free of children for a moment.  
  
"Any."  
  
"Hannah's called, she's coming out next week." began putting her things away. "Hannah, let's start getting you ready for your bath, so your mommy doesn't have to do it tonight."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I already gave you a reason, now scoot." She told her.  
  
"What about Kailyn's?" Jim came up behind her and took her arm gently so she had to face him.  
  
"I'll talk to you about that later." She said and turned back to see if Hannah had made it to the bathroom.  
  
"Amy."  
  
"There's a court appointment next week, apparently her mother's been starting to act right now." Amy said not trusting her voice she turned and walked down the hallway to the bathroom.  
  
Not used to seeing his wife so distraught, he became unsettled. He scratched his chin as he wondered what that could mean.  
  
"Hello?" Liz knocked on the door.  
  
"Come on in, Liz." Jim called. "They're in the back bathing Hannah."  
  
"Oh, alright." She shrugged. She smiled when she heard a small grunt from the nursery over the baby monitor. "She awake?" Liz asked hopefully.  
  
"She is now." Jim smiled in Liz's delight.  
  
"Do you mind?"  
  
"No, I get her all night." Jim nodded.  
  
Everyone seemed attached to that baby.  
  
"You and Amy ever need a break and I'll gladly take her off your hands." Liz walked out, baby clasped firmly on her shoulder.  
  
"I know you would. She seems to be hogging all the attention around here." Jim said, admiring the baby's pretty curls himself.  
  
"I know." Liz remembered the feel of baby soft breath on her neck and smiled as she heard Hannah's laughter. "I haven't even seen my baby yet."  
  
"She'll be fine for another few moments." He nodded to the couch. "Why don't you let Amy finish up and I need to talk to you."  
  
Liz sat dutifully down, shifting the baby.  
  
"You know, Liz, you're like a daughter to me, and Hannah looks to me as a grandfather—which I might add—I am not all that old." He sat down, with a chuckle, across from her. "And as such, I feel I have the right to give you advice. Kyle told me Hannah's father's back."  
  
Liz nodded. "I was going to tell you, but—"  
  
"I'm not lecturing you, love." Jim held a hand up to silence her. "I just want you to be careful, Liz. You mean a lot to me, us, Maria, Kyle. But I also know that you haven't gotten over Hannah's father, Max. I can't tell you what to do, Liz. But I can tell you to be careful, and that whatever you do, your decision is up to you. Just remember that what you do effects Hannah as well."  
  
"I know." Liz focused her attention on the baby next to her. No one knew as much as her how much. No one knew that if it was only her heart at risk, she might already be back with him.  
  
"I also want you to know that it's the most difficult thing in the world to stop loving someone you've loved for such a long time."  
  
Liz met his eyes immediately. He knew! He knew she was still in love with Max! "That face just confirmed my suspicions. I know you still love him, just remember what I said, now go find your little girl." He took Kailyn from her arms.  
  
"Yeah." She smiled and blinked back tears.  
  
Jim ached for his son, but knew that Kyle didn't love Liz. Not really, not in the way she wanted to be loved. And not the way she deserved to be.  
  
He knew all of this and he knew that he had a rough few months ahead of their family.  
  
"It's you and me, Kailyn, come on." He looked at the baby who's face lit up in a smile. "Let's go ask Grandma what's going on with your mother."  
  
**[b] TBC [/b]**


	26. Beach Trip

**[b]Chapter 26[/b]  
**  
Max stepped into the busy restaurant unsure of what he was doing. He held the note in his hand, half proud of what he had done, half scared of what Liz's reaction would be.  
  
It had been three weeks since Max's discovery of their situation. One week until Hannah's surgery. She was currently at the Valenti's where he and Liz were going to pick her up to go out for ice cream.  
  
Liz caught his eye, she smiled warily unsure of what to make of him. He had made it a point to see Hannah every weekend and Hannah seemed to be growing comfortable with him. They had never been left alone together—yet—and Liz wasn't in a hurry to see that that happen.  
  
There was a large group with about two children to every adult and Liz had to swerve multiple times so the empty plates she carried wouldn't end up on a child.  
  
Her hips swiveled perfectly avoiding the small child who danced in front of her. Max smiled noticing how at home she looked surrounded by the children. She squatted down to tell a little boy something. He immediately started laughing and ran off to tell his friends.  
  
She stood and made her way though the jungle of chairs, children, and laughing mothers.  
  
"How many, sir?" The peppy young high school hostess asked.  
  
"Just one."  
  
"All alone today?" She picked up a menu and smiled at him. She turned and took him in the opposite direction of Liz's section.  
  
"Can I sit over there?" He asked.  
  
"Ummm, with all those children?" She asked looking at the little demons dancing circles around Liz as she brought out cake.  
  
"They look like they're almost through, and I really don't mind children." He shrugged. "Plus I know the waitress." He had been unsure whether or not to add that last bit but decided to.  
  
Liz glanced up and smiled at him again.  
  
The hostess looked at Max and gasped. "You're Hannah's father, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes." He said after a moment.  
  
"We all adore Hannah here, she's such a sweetheart, you know that don't you?" She started babbling about his little girl. "I'll sit at her favorite booth. She sits here so she can see Liz perfectly when she comes to work with her." She beamed. "I think Liz likes it too because she can see her whether she's out here or in the kitchen."  
  
"Thank you." Max nodded and slid into the booth.  
  
"You're here an hour early, Max." Liz stood beside the table.  
  
He felt her skirt was entirely too short and was about to tell her so before thinking better of it.  
  
"When's your next break?" He asked abruptly.  
  
"Soon as this group leaves, than I get off, they're letting me go early."  
  
"I'll just wait here." Watching you.  
  
She could feel him watching her every move. Her section of the restaurant was now empty. She felt the tension leave her body as the last of the children filed out the door.  
  
"Alright." She slid her foot out of her shoe under the table and wiggled her toes. "What is it?" She could tell it was something serious and she wondered how it affected her.  
  
"Well...I...my mom sort of told me that you have a...um...hard time paying for Hannah's surgery and keeping up the rent, and other financial needs." He stammered. It would be an insult to her pride and he knew it. He wanted to proceed carefully. "And then I heard that your trust fund had been frozen. Because I thought it was odd that you were having...problems...when your trust fund was significantly larger than mine. Here." He passed the folder across the table.  
  
"What is this?"  
  
"I...sort of...figured out how to unfreeze your accounts." He didn't feel very guilty lying to her about it; it was for the good of their daughter.  
  
"H—how?" She asked staring down at the paperwork her eyes wide.  
  
"My mom did it. She's more into that part of law." He shrugged looking down.  
  
She studied the paperwork carefully and when she looked up again there were tears in her eyes. "You don't know what this means to me, Max."  
  
He did. He could read it in her eyes. He only felt slightly guilty about how she would feel for him after she discovered that it was in fact not her money at all.  
  
"I've wanted to go to college for some time now, Max. I haven't been able to even begin to afford it at this point!"  
  
"You can do a lot more, love." He said shyly. He'd gladly give her anything she wanted. She gave him a daughter.  
  
"We better go get Hannah. She watches the clock on Friday nights." Liz said glowing. Her heart lifted.  
  
"We'll go get her then." Max was happy to see the smile on her face.  
  
"Hold on." She took off her apron and went back into the kitchen. She came out a few minutes later tucking her tips into her pocket for safe keeping. "Alright, let's go."  
  
Liz ran in quickly to retrieve Hannah while Max waited in the car.  
  
They were having a very intense conversation when Liz buckled Hannah into her seat. "Natalie's mommy is going to have a baby soon." Hannah informed Liz. "Her daddy picked her up today."  
  
"Really?" Liz asked.  
  
"He said her mommy's going to have it maybe tomorrow."  
  
"We'll have to go get her a gift then." Liz said.  
  
"Yes!" Hannah clapped her hands and then noticed Max was sitting in the driver seat and the seat she was sitting in wasn't the one in her mother's car. "Hi."  
  
"Hi, Hannah." Max said looking at her through the rear view mirror.  
  
"Natalie's mommy going to have a baby."  
  
"I heard." Max smiled.  
  
"I want a little sister too." She looked out the window as Max started to back out. "Can I have one?"  
  
"Not anytime soon, Hannah bean." Liz said looking out the window as well.  
  
"Please?"  
  
"No." Liz shook her head. "Sorry, Hannah." You need two people to have a baby, Liz thought silently to herself.  
  
"Alright. Can we go to the beach?"  
  
Liz looked at Max, since she was in a happy mood she wouldn't mind the half hour drive it would take to drive down there. "Are you up for it?"  
  
"Sure, why not?" Max shrugged, "You'll have to tell me how to get there though."  
  
"That's fine."  
  
Pulling up to the beach and looking at the throngs of teenagers swarming the pier and Main St. Max looked at Liz a little skeptically.  
  
"Are you sure you want to come here?" He asked.  
  
"Yes, it's crowded, but fun. Lots of shops and things, there's an ice cream parlor on the corner there." Liz said as she set Hannah onto the street and took her hand. "There's a Ruby's on the end of the pier as well."  
  
"Well, let's go find some ice cream." Max nodded.  
  
He felt a little over dressed as he watched the girls sporting bikinis trying to impress the topless surfer boys.  
  
Hannah walked alongside Liz trying to take in everything. She loved being among the crowd. "Mommy, when I'm a teenager I'm going to come here ok?"  
  
"I don't think so." Max answered for Liz who just laughed. To think of Hannah walking around in a bikini was a little much.  
  
Hannah just pouted at him, in a picture that was completely Liz when she was upset with him.  
  
Hannah ran happily into the ice cream parlor and waited for Max and Liz to join her. She once again took Liz's hand.  
  
Hannah talked the entire time about school and what she had done over the week. "It's Natalie's turn to take home Mr. Bear." Hannah explained. "He go in alph...alt... what is the word, Mommy?"  
  
"Alphabetical?" Liz supplied.  
  
"Yeah, Alphabetical order, by our last name. Natalie's is Barkley, I'm not till we come back because I'm Parker."  
  
Max and Liz's eyes met over her head. She could very well be an Evans.  
  
"I have my surgery Friday." Hannah said suddenly.  
  
"Yes, you do." Liz nodded silently. Tomorrow the tests would begin and the hellish week before surgery would start.  
  
"You know what's wrong with my heart?" Hannah turned to Max.  
  
"Not exactly." Max shook his head. He needed to talk to Liz about that to understand what was going on with his baby.  
  
"Put your lips together like this." She showed him. "Now breathe out."  
  
He did. "Good, now breathe in."  
  
He tried but his lips came together preventing the air from getting though. "See, it stopped, that's what your heart does."  
  
"Now, put your lips together, but open a little bit." Hannah demonstrated with her own. "Like that." She told Max.  
  
"When you breathe in air can still come, yeah?" She asked as Max did it.  
  
"Yes." He answered in all seriousness.  
  
Liz smiled because this is the same exact explanation Kyle had given to Hannah.  
  
"That's my heart. The doctor has to fix it so it don't do that no more."  
  
"I understand." And to Max's astonishment, he really did. His daughter was a genius.  
  
"Are you all finished and ready to go, Hannah?" Liz asked.  
  
"Yes." Her eyes were drooping and she looked thoroughly pleased.  
  
Her steps were slower, and she stopped often to pause for breath. Liz stopped to pick her up and felt her heart beating frantically.  
  
Max drove them home and wasn't surprised to find Hannah already asleep. Liz bent to pick her up, but Max offered to instead.  
  
"I don't know if she'll let you."  
  
"May I try?" Max asked looking at his sleeping daughter.  
  
"Sure." Liz stepped out of the way.  
  
Max carefully picked her up and put her against his shoulder. She shifted and he held his breath. She just moved and rested her head in the crook of his neck, her breath feathering his skin.  
  
Max walked up the stairs and felt when she awoke. Her body stiffened and he was prepared to set her down or hand her to Liz.  
  
Hannah awoke and looked around and noticed she was in Max's arms. She contemplated getting down or staying in his arms. They were comfortable enough and she knew he wouldn't drop her. Deciding quickly she laid her head back down and threw her arms around his neck.  
  
Max relaxed and continued up to their apartment.  
  
"Evening, Alex." Liz said startled to see him standing outside his doorway.  
  
"Hello, beauties." Alex said to both Liz and Hannah. "Did you have fun tonight?" He asked walking closer to Hannah.  
  
With a lazy arm around Max's neck she answered. "We went to the beach."  
  
"Was that fun, did you get ice cream?"  
  
"Yeah," She said tiredly resting her head back on Max's shoulder.  
  
"I'm Alex, by the way." He said to Max looking at him.  
  
"So you're Alex, the one my sister fancies herself half in love with."  
  
"That'd be me." He said proudly before his face paled. "Did you say that your sister is in love with me?"  
  
"I might have mentioned that, but I'm not so sure about that." Max smiled at the other man's face. "I'm Max."  
  
"Nice to meet you, finally." Alex said.  
  
"Thanks, same here." He nodded. "I'm gonna go lay her down."  
  
"Just bring her right here." Liz stated as she opened the door to her bedroom. "I'll change her clothes in a minute, Hannah say goodbye."  
  
"Bye!" She threw her arms around him and hugged him again.  
  
"Bye." He couldn't resist kissing her cheek.  
  
"You're coming with me to my surgery?" She wanted to know, still with her hands around him.  
  
"I don't know yet, little girl." He told her honestly.  
  
"Please?" She asked.  
  
"I'll see what I can do, ok?"  
  
She nodded her consent and climbed onto the bed and laid down.  
  
"I'll be right back, Hannah bean, take your shoes off and get in your jamies and I'll come lay by you."  
  
Liz led Max out to the front door. "Thank you, Max."  
  
"No problem, Liz." He stated. "Um...about her surgery. Do you mind if I'm there?"  
  
"I would like you to be there, it means so much to Hannah that you go."  
  
"Alright." He nodded. "Are there any preps or anything?"  
  
"Well, this whole week is full of tests and prep stuff but you don't need to be there for those, they're just little half hour appointments. Her surgery is at noon on Friday." She took hold of his arm. "Please be there for her."  
  
"I plan to be."  
  
**[b]TBC[/b]**


	27. Surgeries and hospitals part 1

**Chapter 27**

Pacing the hospital floor was something Max was quickly learning he disliked.  
  
Liz sat in a chair not far from where he was pacing.  
  
"Max, sit down, it doesn't help to pace."  
  
"Something must help, Liz." He had watched Hannah's pale face, that morning. She had silently rubbed her face into Liz's shirt, trying to keep her mind off her hunger. She had looked the other way when the MA had stuck her with the shot to make her droopy before taking her back to the operating room.  
  
She had said nothing but a simple, "Love you, Mommy." Before she had been laid on the hospital bed that was way too big for her.  
  
Max wanted to scream at these people.  
  
"Max, sit down." She ordered. "I don't need you to make the waiting worse."  
  
Max stopped and sat next to her. She had been in there for more than an hour. How did Liz just sit there?"  
  
"How do you do it, Liz?" He asked.  
  
"A mother's gotta do what mother's gotta do." She attempted a small smile.  
  
"Do you want any coffee or anything?" Max asked, it was torture to be just standing here.  
  
"Sure." She nodded. She wouldn't drink it.  
  
Max got up to hunt down coffee.  
  
A moment after he left, Kyle strode into the room. "How are we doing?"  
  
"She went in right on time." Liz said, not as comforted by his presence as she normally was—although it seemed that it had always been somebody else's comfort she wanted anyway.  
  
"I'm sorry, they called me in, I was planning on being here." Kyle apologized. "I didn't want you to be here alone."  
  
"She's not alone." Max stood behind them. Neither Kyle nor Liz had realized the fact that he had approach them.  
  
"I thought you were going to get coffee." Liz asked.  
  
"I changed my mind." He had seen Kyle walking in and had decided to come back.  
  
"Max." Liz said looking at him.  
  
He raised his eyebrows and crossed his chest signifying he wasn't going anywhere.  
  
Liz sat cross legged looking down at her hands in her lap praying they wouldn't start anything here. Max normally wasn't the kind that made scenes, but she also didn't know if he'd changed.  
  
Kyle sat down next to Liz, took her hand whispered something in her ear.  
  
Insanely, and unjustly jealous Max sat down on the other side of her and asked her a question. Looking at both of them, not knowing whom to give her attention to, Liz stood up and glared at both men.  
  
"Will you two knock it off?" She tried to keep her voice down. "My baby girl is in there having surgery and you two are fighting over me. Stop it! If you can't behave and just sit here and wait with me, put whatever is between us away for just three more hours, then I don't want you here."  
  
"Sorry." They both mumbled.  
  
She felt for both of them, Kyle who had been so used to being the one there, and Max not ever being there, barely able to know what to do with himself.  
  
"Thank you." She sat down again, folded her arms and fixed her eyes on the door.  
  
"Miss Parker, will you come in with me please?" The doctor opened the door to his office.  
  
Max stood with Liz and followed her into the room. She looked even paler than she had that morning.  
  
"Umm, sir?" The doctor asked.  
  
"It's alright." Liz told him and took his hand.  
  
"Oh." The doctor looked at Max and recognition dawned on him. "Of course."  
  
They sat and Max wondered how Liz had done this on his own. Even with Liz there, he wasn't sure how to deal with this.  
  
"Where's Kyle today?" The doctor asked.  
  
"He had to work." So she hadn't been alone.  
  
"Well, let's get started." The doctor opened his folder and looked back up. "Surgery went well."  
  
Liz breathed easier and she folded her hands in her lap as she tended to do when she was nervous.  
  
"But..."  
  
Oh God.  
  
"The valve we replaced will need to be refitted when she turns ten. Once she stops growing we can put one in that will last the rest of her life. But while she's growing it will have to keep being replaced. Luckily with all the modern technology the valves are becoming nicer and nicer, and are capable of growing with the child."  
  
Liz nodded understanding. "When can we see her?"  
  
"She's been moved to the ICU." He told her.  
  
"But why, she's never been sent there before." Liz leaned forward.  
  
"Although Hannah appeared healthy when she went into surgery, there were minor complications. Her lungs didn't hold up as well as we were expecting and it looked like the beginning of pneumonia."  
  
"Pneumonia in the middle of summer?" Max raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Yes, Max, it's always a possibility with heart patients, a simple cold could turn into the worst respiratory diseases." Liz stated matter of factly. It had never happened before and Liz considered herself lucky that Hannah hadn't gotten it when she was younger.  
  
"She didn't have a cold." Liz shook her head.  
  
"I know, but she has started school and kids pass bugs to each other there. Its good thing we caught it, but bad that we caught it during surgery. We'll keep her here until she's completely healed. When does she go back to school?"  
  
"September, she has August off."  
  
"Perfect. She'll be fine; they just want to keep an eye on her for the first few days in ICU. If you want, I'll take you to her."  
  
"Please."  
  
As many times as Liz had seen her daughter in a hospital bed it was not something that she ever got used to. This time there were tubes coming to and from her chest and IV's coming from bother her hands and arms.  
  
She stopped in the doorway and collected herself. Max was behind her. She turned to him, tears in her eyes.  
  
"Max, I've done this so many times but I never get used to it, and I've never seen her this bad." She looked up at him and grabbed his shirt. "Are you sure you're ready to do this. She's not going to be her regular cheerful Hannah."  
  
"I know, Liz." He took her hand, it was freezing. "I know, we'll do this together. You don't have to do it alone anymore."  
  
"Alright." Allowing him to take her hand, she took a deep breath. "Let's go."  
  
The room buzzed with monitors for everything, the steady sound of her heart beating was a comfort in the room. A heavy plastic curtain surrounded the bed, made for small children and keeping out disease.  
  
"Hannah bean." Liz called to her daughter as she walked up to the bed.  
  
She didn't stir. Liz was prepared to wait off the effects of the drugs.  
  
She felt Max's quick intake of breath and turned to him. "What do we do now?"  
  
"We wait." Liz said. She pulled the chair over and pushed him into it. "It could be five minutes, it could be a half hour, but we sit here and wait."  
  
He pulled her to him. "You're so brave, Lizzie."  
  
She sank down on his lap, relishing his childhood nickname for her, ready to lend him some of her fears, as well as gain some support. "I told you before."  
  
"A mother's gotta do what a mother's gotta do." Max filled in for her. "Well, I've gotta do what I've gotta do too, and I'm gonna help you. How many times have you done this?"  
  
"Four." Liz said. "I think the only happy time I've had in a hospital was right when Hannah was born."  
  
"I wish I would have been there."  
  
"You weren't, no use dwelling on it." Liz said shortly. "Hannah, Hannah bean, wake up." She called lovingly. Hannah stirred but settled back down into sleep.  
  
She stretched, yawned and looked around. Fear entered her eyes when she didn't immediately see Liz. "Mommy." Cough.  
  
"I'm here, Hannah bean." Liz slid off of Max's lap. "Max, will you go tell the nurse that she's awake?"  
  
Max nodded and left them alone together.  
  
"Alright, let's see how we're doing." The nurse entered the room. Liz was standing over the bed where Hannah was laying.  
  
Max went over and stood next to Liz. "Hi, Hannah."  
  
"Hi." She smiled at him, but it wasn't the usual warm one. Her face was pale her hair messy, every move she made looked like it caused her pain.  
  
"Quite a battle scar you're gonna have." He said.  
  
She nodded and rolled over onto her side. "You can go ahead and lift the cover." The nurse said.  
  
Carefully hanging up the curtain, and tying it in place, Liz reached out to grab Hannah's hand.  
  
She looked like she wanted to say something, but Liz hushed her.  
  
She coughed, her face turned into a grimace and her eyes filled with tears as she felt the pain. "Mommy." She reached for her. Liz soothed her hair cooing words  
  
Max felt like an intruder but at the same time didn't want to leave the two of them alone.  
  
"Here, let her lay down for a few minutes." The nurse told Liz, and Liz sat her back on the bed. "I have to take some blood and things, it would be best if you waited outside." She told them.  
  
"Can't we stay with Hannah?" Max asked stepping forward.  
  
"No, it'd be best if you and your wife would kindly step outside." The nurse said with a bit of force in her voice.  
  
"But." Max stepped forward.  
  
"Come on, Max." Liz just pushed him backward and out the door. When the door shut she turned to him. "Sometimes, it's best if we don't argue with the nurses." She said.  
  
"She called you my wife." Max said, pulling her to him. He hoisted her a bit so she could see into the window in the door and see what the nurse was doing to Hannah.  
  
"She did." Liz wasn't really paying attention her full focus was Hannah.  
  
"Excuse me, sir. Due to hospital protocol, I need you and your wife to wait in the waiting area." Another nurse told them.  
  
"Sorry." Max apologized and pulled Liz with him to the waiting room. "She did too."  
  
"Yeah, that's going to be concluded a lot." She said absently. The last place she wanted to be was the waiting room. "I don't want to be here again, Max."  
  
"Well." He said looking around. This was all new to him. He looked at her pale face and the tired look in her face. "When was the last time you ate?"  
  
"Last night sometime, I couldn't eat with Hannah this morning." She shrugged.  
  
"Let's go down and find something." He pulled her up. "Come on, the nurse said forty five minutes to an hour."  
  
"Alright." She stood. "I guess it wouldn't hurt."  
  
The cafeteria food wasn't all that horrible but Liz didn't eat it anyway. "Liz, you need to eat." Max said.  
  
"I'm not very hungry."  
  
"I will not allow you back upstairs to visit Hannah if you do not eat what is on that plate." He said.  
  
Liz raised a single eyebrow at him in question, but the look on his face told her he was very serious.  
  
She finished what was on her plate, grudgingly and wondered if she was going to be able to keep any of it down. Glaring at Max she looked at her watch.  
  
"I should call everyone and tell them what's going on." She stood and headed outside. "You don't have to stay, Max, now that she's out, I'll be alright by myself."  
  
"No, I'm staying." He stood up with her. "We'll go outside and you can use my cell phone and get some fresh air."  
  
"I have my own cell, only for emergencies, but I'll use it now." She stepped outside. She was tired and wanted nothing more just to curl up, at home in bed with Hannah.  
  
Liz made the phone call and explained to Amy about everything. She refused Amy's offer to come and be with her as well. After suggesting a visit in a few days, Liz hung up the phone.  
  
"I guess Kyle's still here." Liz said. "Amy said she'll call and tell him just to go home since he wouldn't be able to see her anyway."  
  
Good idea, Max thought to himself. "We should be allowed in to see Hannah now."  
  
"Yes, we should." Liz headed for the elevator.  
  
Hannah was sleeping when they got to her room. Her breathing a heavy wheeze, interrupted by coughs barely strong enough to do her any good.  
  
Tears filled Liz's eyes as she sank into a chair. "Max, she's so weak."  
  
"She's strong, Liz, she'll fight it." Max stared helplessly at his daughter on the bed and down to Liz. "Why don't you tell me about her, more, I want to know our daughter like you do, Liz." He said.  
  
Pulling her out of the chair and sitting in it himself, he pulled Liz down on his lap.  
  
"She sat up at six months." She told him. "She crawled at nine, and walked at ten. She crawled and was anxious to walk right away."  
  
"Her first word was Alex, she speaks French as fluently as any French four- year-old. She goes to year-around school and is on Track C. Her favorite color is purple and she still sleeps with an empty bottle at night."  
  
"She's brilliant." Max said taking Liz's face in his hands.  
  
"You weren't there!" Liz said in a controlled voice. She never had a hard time controlling her emotions, except when Max was around. "You weren't there! How could you know, Max."  
  
"Liz," He kissed her tears away. "Liz, tell me. Tell me what it was like for you."  
  
"You weren't there when the doctor told me she had a heart murmur, you weren't there when the doctor told me about the surgeries, you weren't there when I found out she would develop slower due to hospitalization time. But she didn't, but you wouldn't know that would you? She can tie her own shoes and she can say the alphabet, English and French. Max if you had been there you would know."  
  
Then she spoke the words that had been hanging over their head for four years. "And you know what scares me, Max, the most?" She asked him. "The fact that if you would have been here, if I would have stayed with you, we wouldn't even have her. We wouldn't know, and our baby would be out there wondering if her real parents loved her."  
  
That stung. Max swallowed hard, knowing it was true. He sat still for a minute collected his thoughts, then he spoke carefully, deliberately choosing every word.  
  
"If you would have told me, you know I would have been here in a second. If you would have told me, I would know her first word, I would have heard the doctor tell you there was something wrong with Hannah's heart, you never told me. And if you never told me, how was I supposed to know?"  
  
Liz let that sink in as well. She knew he was right.  
  
"Alright, so we were both in the wrong." She said. "Now we're here, both of us, our daughter is that hospital bed, and we're arguing about the past. Let's let it drop for now."  
  
"I'm willing." They both had something to chew on, but Liz was still in his lap. He tightened his arms around her. She rubbed her head into his chest an action that echoed Hannah's earlier attempts for comfort, and Max let out a sigh of relief. They both knew what the other felt, now all they needed was for Hannah to get well and all would be good. Well, they would wait to discuss it until Hannah was better.  
  
Hannah blinked her eyes open. The pain in her chest was down to a dull throb but when she took a breath it was piercing. She wanted her mommy. Looking around, she found her sleeping, in her father's arms.  
  
That was something to see.  
  
"Mommy." Hannah called softly. It hurt to do anything more. Her voice was hoarse, and knew that she wouldn't gain the full use of it for a while.  
  
Max moved his head when he heard Hannah's call. He turned and looked her in the eye. Hannah decided that he would have to do.  
  
"Daddy."  
  
Max's breath stopped. Had she just called him Daddy? His whole body tensed up and he looked at his daughter, waiting to see if she'd say it again. Liz stirred when she felt Max tighten. She opened her eyes and met Hannah's gaze swiftly filling with tears.  
  
"Mommy." She said and she let the tears fall.  
  
Max chalked it up to his imagination wanting to hear something desperately, and decided the best thing he could do was forget it ever happened—or thought that it happened—and go back to being strong for Liz.  
  
A week later, Hannah was out of the ICU but she was still in the hospital.  
  
Max had been there during the days and worked from his laptop, if possible. Liz insisted he return home at night. He had argued about it more than once with her but had lost. In the end every night at eight o'clock Liz would send him out the door.  
  
Liz went home during the times the nurse kicked her out of the room to run tests.  
  
Hannah was well enough to be out of the ICU but not well enough to join the other children in the ward. She was placed in a private room, and no more than three people were allowed to visit her at a time.  
  
She rolled over on her side as Liz told her a story. She giggled softly as she read about some fantasy world. She looked up towards the door when she heard the childish laughter coming in from outside wanting to be with the other children. She loved her family but she wanted to play with someone her own age. Max looked up from his laptop and saw her wishful eyes. Just then a nurse walked in.  
  
"Alright, Miss Hannah and I get to go down for some X-Rays, to see how the pneumonia's doing." She said. Liz lifted her from the bed and sat her in the tiny wheelchair as the nurse situated the two IV's that were left in her arm.  
  
Liz kissed Hannah goodbye and Max waved as the nurse wheeled her out. "Well, I guess that means I get to go home and change." Liz said shrugging. "Want to come?"  
  
She didn't feel like being alone and Max had nothing better to do with his time. "Why not?"  
  
They walked into the apartment and Max set his stuff on the table. Liz went to the phone to pay back messages. There were only two.  
  
_"Hi, Liz, this is Amy, just wanted to let you know that Kailyn's social worker called and it looks like we're going to have the little sweetcakes for a few more months. Looks like mom fell back a little. Are you sure you're not interested in adopting her? It's starting to look like that's where she's headed. Give Hannah my love. Goodbye."   
_  
Liz didn't know whether to be sad or happy at that message. It would make it worse for the separation from Kailyn, but Liz wasn't a big fan of her mother either. She cleared the message and pushed the next button.  
  
_ "Hi this is Hannah," Natalie's childish voice came through the speaker. "Mommy and Daddy say you're still in the hospital but if I left you a message your mommy would give it to you. Hi, Ms. Parker!" She said enthusiastically. "Hannah, I wanted to tell you that I miss you, and that Mommy had her baby. It's a girl and her name is Francesca Hope. Daddy says she looks just like I did, but I sure hope not because she's so wrinkly, like my skin after a bath. Maybe you'll call me back later. Bye!" There was a defined "done" before the phone hung up.  
_  
Max smiled at the phone at the childish exuberance of his daughter's best friend.  
  
"That girl has so much energy." Liz smiled. "Go ahead and set up your laptop there's a plug there." Liz pointed out. "I shouldn't be more than twenty minutes."  
  
"Take your time."  
  
The house was once again clean, this time there were no more moving boxes, and Max knew it was because of the money that he had given her. He knew he should tell her sometime that the money was his, but he didn't know when that would be a good time. Now definantly was not.  
  
Max heard the shower start and tried to take his mind off the woman in the shower. Curious about the place his love and daughter lived, he stood up and looked around. There were candid pictures of Hannah everywhere. Baby pictures, toddler pictures. A picture of Hannah at some sort of ballet school. That was new, he hadn't known she took ballet.  
  
Something else he had missed while he had stayed away.  
  
Going back to his laptop Max started his work again. He couldn't or wouldn't focus on his work. He heard the shower shut off and few moments later the blow dryer start up.  
  
He replayed Natalie's message. Natalie. Maybe that would make Hannah happier. Sure she looked and acted happy but the twinkle in her eyes had been gone. He remembered her idle remarks about Natalie about every other minute, or her look when she watched the other kids playing in the hallways outside.  
  
"Liz!" He called.  
  
"Yeah?" She walked to her bedroom door and kicked it open. She brushed her hair underneath so she could collect it in a half ponytail.  
  
"How old do you have to be to visit someone in the children's ward?"  
  
"Twelve, why?" She swept her hair up easily. Then sitting her brush down on the table beside him she tied her hair up.  
  
The brush next to his work, her scent drifting to him as she played with her hair was to intimate for Max to think clearly. Just a simple conversation but the intimacy of her doing her hair, her scent, him casually doing his work and the two of them conversing about the well-being of their child got to him.  
  
"Just wondering." He shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"I've never asked you before, Max, but what kind of law do you do?" She said looking at the screen.  
  
"Family." He said.  
  
"Oh, so you deal with kids in the foster system."  
  
"Yeah, I get a lot of those." He nodded. Her head was level with is. "Is Kyle working today?"  
  
"Yes, why?" Her suspicions rose.  
  
"No, reason." He shrugged it off. "Are you still with him?"  
  
"I'm not really sure, why do you want to know?"  
  
"So that when I kiss you right now, I'll know if I'm kissing somebody's girlfriend."  
  
She didn't have time to register his words before he swooped in and kissed her for the first time in five years.  
  
Liz stood frozen, not responding, in shock. Then when she opened her mouth to protest Max plundered her mouth. She surrendered and sank down into his lap, pulling him closer. Taking her sign Max pulled her tight against him and deepened the kiss. They stopped only when breathing became a necessity.  
  
"Max, you—you can't do that." Liz shook her head, trying to clear it. "We're just a little confused, you know, from all the stuff with Hannah, you know. They say people do crazy things during hard times." She told him trying to back away.  
  
"No, I've been wanting to do that for a long time." Max shook his head. "I only now got the courage."  
  
Liz couldn't admit that she had wanted it too, just as badly. "Well, I suggest you don't do it again." She stood and went to the door. "It's time we leave."  
  
**I just got here and I realized that I didn't post this before I left. I'm so sorry! I'm going leave for Europe again in a few days, but hopefully I'll have the next part of this up by then. I can't believe I forgot to post this over here. I even have it in my document manager and everything, just slipped my mind. Sorry.**

****


	28. Surgeries and Hospitals part 2

**Chapter 28**  
  
"Hi, can I speak to Dr. Kyle Valenti, please?" Max walked into the ER.  
  
"Yes, if you'll have a seat I'll page him for you."  
  
Fifteen minutes later Kyle found Max in the sitting room.  
  
"What's this about?" Kyle didn't sit but folded his arms across his chest. "Is something wrong with Hannah?"  
  
"No, well, she's a bit depressed." Max said. "She's tired of being shut up in that room, how much pull do you have on the doctors in the children's ward?"  
  
"Enough as long as it doesn't put Hannah into any danger." He looked skeptically at Max.  
  
"Well, that will have to do. This is what I'm planning to do."  
  
"Isabel, can you get Alex on the phone for me?" Max asked, entering the kitchen of the Town home they shared.  
  
"Why?" She put down the fashion magazine she indulged herself in.  
  
"I need to ask him about something for Hannah."  
  
"Alright." She slid off her stool, "Why do you need to talk to Alex?"  
  
"You'll see later." He took the number and went to his room.  
  
[i]Sunday afternoon[/i]  
  
"Thank you so much, Mr. Barkley, for bringing Natalie here." Max shook his hands. "Especially with a new baby."  
  
"Oh, it's no problem; we'd hope someone would do the same for one of our children. Melissa says I'm just in the way with a new baby anyway."  
  
"Can I go see Hannah now?" Natalie was bouncing. Her hair was wrapped in a tight bun as Kyle had told her was required.  
  
"Well, first we have to get you all suited up if you're ready. Do you want to do this?" Kyle bent down to her level.  
  
"Yes." She said happily. "We'll be back , Daddy." She called waving.  
  
Taking Hannah into the nurses station, Kyle took a surgical robe and put it on her, cutting the bottom so she wouldn't trip over it. Then he tied it tight behind her and pinned it into place. He pulled a cap over her head and pinned it with bobby pins he had taken from his mother's drawer. The gloves were a little loose but there wasn't much that he could do about that. Last he pulled on a surgical mask over her face so she wouldn't spread any germs to Hannah.  
  
Kyle himself, thought it was a little much but it was the best he could do to get the doctors to cooperate with him and Max.  
  
"All set?" Kyle asked. "Now, I'm going to take you to Hannah's father and he'll take you to Hannah, alright?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Are you comfortable?"  
  
She nodded and pulled up her robe a little so she could walk better.  
  
"Alright, Max, it's all up to you. Here she is, I have to get back to work." The two men stood facing each other.  
  
"Thank you, Kyle." Max shook his hand.  
  
"You're welcome." Kyle gave Max a look that told him he had something to say but wouldn't say it just yet.  
  
"Alright." Max nodded. "I'll be seeing you around. Come on Natalie."  
  
"Good luck."  
  
"Hannah, somebody's here to see you." Max knocked on the door. She was sitting in Liz's lap watching Finding Nemo for the hundredth time on his laptop.  
  
She turned towards the door excited just to see Max but looked suspiciously at the small person walking next to him.  
  
"Hannah." Natalie asked as she stepped into the room. It looked a lot different from the room her mother stayed in when she had the baby.  
  
"Natalie!" Hannah squealed in delight.  
  
"Hi! How did you come?" Hannah asked in surprise. Liz closed the laptop and put it aside so Natalie would have room to climb into her lap as well.  
  
"Yes, how did you?" Liz asked looking at Max.  
  
He shrugged and stood in the doorway.  
  
After settling the two girls on the chair Liz moved to go speak with Max. "How'd you do it?"  
  
"Kyle helped me." Max said, shyly. "She looked depressed and I wanted to make it better."  
  
"You can't always just make things better for her, Max." Liz said looking up at her. "It's part of life."  
  
"She's four, I think I can, just this once." He went on the defensive.  
  
"I'm not criticizing you; I think I'm just jealous that I didn't think of it before." Liz said looking down.  
  
They looked into the room and Hannah was chatting happily with Natalie about the new baby and their first break.  
  
"Ethan's going to high school, and he's going to be on the swim team." Natalie boasted for her big brother. "He took me swimming with him yesterday and taught me how. I don't need floaties no more."  
  
"I already can swim." Hannah said proudly. "My mommy says I swim like a fish."  
  
"Your daddy gave me this to show you." She held up a CD.  
  
"Mommy, Natalie has something to show me, come.'' Hannah called inside the room.  
  
"What does she have?" Liz asked stepping back into the room, looking suspiciously at Max.  
  
"Go find out." Max smiled proudly. "I sort of got the idea from that Teletubbies show she always insists on watching."  
  
Liz sat back down. Natalie handed her a CD so she put it into the computer.  
  
A few seconds later Natalie appeared on the screen.  
  
_"Hi, Hannah, you're still in the hospital so your daddy asked me to help him do this for you." She stood in the doorway of her house.  
  
She turned around and whoever was holding the camera followed her inside. She walked to the back bedroom where her mother was holding a sleeping baby.  
  
"This is my baby sister, Francesca Hope." She said proudly. "And you already know my mommy."  
  
"Hi, Hannah." Melissa Barkley said at the camera. "I hope you feel better soon."  
  
"This is my brother, Ethan. He wasn't here when you came over last week." The boy was tall and had Natalie's dark hair and eyes. He waved at the camera before going on with his whatever he was working on.  
  
"You already met, Jennifer, Autumn, Ben, and Conner." She said walking around the house. All the children looked exactly the same.  
  
"Your daddy says we're going somewhere else now, I'll see you there."  
  
A few seconds later the camera turned on again and now it was a house well familiar to Hannah.  
  
"This, as you know, is your Grandma Amy's house." Natalie's voice filtered through.  
  
The camera followed her into the house where her entire extended family, bar her mother, were.  
  
"Hi, Hannah." They all chanted together.  
  
Hannah's face split into a huge grin when she saw everyone.  
  
"Kailyn says hi." Amy held up the tiny girl who smiled briefly for the camera. Hannah touched the screen in yearning to see the baby again.  
  
Hannah stared fascinated at the screen as Maria and Jim sang a song for her, and everyone told her of news of home. Natalie's familiar voice narrated the entire time and the movie lasted about fifteen minutes.  
_  
Hannah talked to Natalie for a few more minutes before Max took her back down to her father.  
  
Liz worked on calming Hannah down enough to get her ready for her afternoon tests.  
  
Later in the evening, as Max was gathering his stuff to go, Hannah turned to him. "Stay."  
  
Max stopped and looked at his daughter on the bed. She looked dwarfed, but her eyes were bright. "Please, stay."  
  
"I don't know, little girl." Max walked towards the bed.  
  
"Ask Mommy." Hannah took his hand. "Please?"  
  
Liz walked back from restroom and they both turned to look at her. "He can stay, Mommy?"  
  
Liz looked at Max and then to Hannah on the bed. Having him go home at night was her only defense against him. She needed that short eight hours to get her head back and control.  
  
The pleading look in Hannah's eyes wouldn't allow her to say no. "Alright."  
  
Hannah beamed, "Thank you."  
  
Liz smiled and sat down in the chair. "I'll have them bring an extra cot in tonight."  
  
"No, I'll just stay in the chair."  
  
"It's not that comfortable, Max." Liz told him.  
  
"I'll be fine." He assured her.  
  
Hannah chatted to Max, until the nurse came in telling her it was time for bed.  
  
Liz settled her into bed and let her watch the video a few more times. Each time she watched it seemed like she was more and more determined to find something she had missed. In the fourth round, her eyes drifted shut.  
  
"I thought she'd never get tired of that." Max rubbed his eyes and leaned back in the chair.  
  
"Neither did I, I think it's going to replace Nemo." She reached into her purse to dig out a brush. She let down her hair from it's ponytail with a sigh, before she began brushing it out. When she was done she replaced the brush, "That feels better." She shook her head and let her hair shake against her back.  
  
She faced Max to find he was staring at her once again. She froze as she was about to cross to her cot.  
  
"What?"  
  
Max shook his head and looked down at his hands.  
  
Liz was beginning to think about whether it was a good idea to let him stay. He had made her stomach flutter by just the way he had been looking at her. She needed her time to get herself together. She excused herself to the bathroom and Max cursed himself for staying.  
  
Liz stared at herself in the mirror and wondered what she was doing. Max stood outside the door with her sleeping daughter in bed. She should have sent him home she had her reasons for doing so before. She didn't know what had gotten into her but she needed to get things in her head to go straight, once more, or else everything would begin to be messed up. Her control that she had so valiantly held onto was going to slip away and she would fall back into Max's arms without thought. The kiss they had shared the day before had been almost too overwhelming. Just that short moment had transformed her back to that young girl that she had been when she was younger. She quickly reminded herself that she was indeed not that same girl. She would not just go back to him. She had come a long way from where she had once been. She had relied on herself before Max had come back into the picture and she would continue to do so now.  
  
When she stepped outside, Max was waiting for her by the door. He pulled her into his arms. She didn't have time to protest. "Shhh, you'll wake Hannah."  
  
She tried to push him away but his arms around her were secure and she wasn't going to move anywhere. The feeling of being in his arms again was incredible. She wanted to stay in them forever. Without giving her a choice he bent his head to kiss her.  
  
She turned her head, but not in time. His lips landed smoothly on hers. She resisted at first but soon, with his gentle insistence gave in and surrendered her mouth to him.  
  
Liz forgot where she was, who she was, for the few moments the kiss lasted. But as soon as they surfaced for air, reality set in. She looked up at him, her eyes gleaming with tears, tired of fighting, tired of lying to herself, she rested her head against his chest. He pulled her closer as he heard her sniffles, and wondered if he had pushed her too far. When he tried to dislodge her, she clung tighter to him.  
  
Looking up at him, she spoke.  
  
"Max, what are we going to do?"

**tbc**


	29. Settling old loves

**I wanted to say thank you to all my constant reviewers! It really has made writing more fun, although I like to do it just for myself as well. I just want to say thank you for the support and sticking with this story even though it seems like it was dead at times. No, this isn't the conclusion, just wanted to thank you guys! **

**Lissa**

**Chapter 29  
**  
One week later, Hannah was discharged from the hospital.  
  
Max had returned to work the Thursday before not knowing how to handle Liz for so long. He continued to visit Hannah regularly while she was in the hospital but he wasn't sure how that was going to continue on now that she was home.  
  
Hannah insisted on trying to walk up the stairs by herself but halfway up she was breathing too hard and it was hurting her stitches. She had bruises on her arm from where the IVs had been. Her voice was still very hoarse but she gained new strength everyday.  
  
The doctor had told Liz that within the next week she'd be ready for school, which was perfect since her vacation was going to end soon anyway.  
  
Max had been loathe to leave them but he knew he would have to. After a tearful goodbye from Hannah Max had glanced at Liz then left them alone in their little world.  
  
Serena opened the door to the apartment with her nose stuck in a book. It was a really good one and she didn't want to put it down.  
  
"Still an avid reader, I see." The voice said.  
  
She jumped and almost dropped the book. "Kyle!"  
  
"Hi, Serena, didn't think I'd get quite that reaction but I think it'll work." He stepped into the apartment without invitation.  
  
"Hannah and Liz are over at Alex and Maria's." She set the book down after marking the page she was in. She slid her glasses off her face and walked into the kitchen.  
  
"I know. That's why I came to see you, we need to talk" He followed her.  
  
"Alright, so talk." She sat at the table.  
  
"We'll start at the beginning. I loved...love you."  
  
"That's quite a shocker there, Kyle." She rubbed her hands down her thighs.  
  
"I'm just being truthful. You know I thought the world rose and set in you, I don't understand how you thought I was cheating on you." He shook his head.  
  
"I was young, and I was stupid, and I was in love."  
  
"Love should have given you a certain amount of trust." Kyle said, sitting opposite of her.  
  
"Well, yes, but it also tends to make a girl extremely jealous." She said delicately. "All I knew was that girl was infatuated with you, and that you were her tutor. You spent God knows how many hours with her, and she came back to class with all sorts of ungodly tales of what you two had done. Sure, my heart told me they were lies, but my brain told me otherwise." She explained.  
  
"You should have asked me."  
  
"I tried, but the second I asked you were insulted that I would ever think such a thing like that. We both started yelling, and that was that. We didn't even try to make it work after that, and it fell apart two months later."  
  
"I know." He nodded. "I'm sorry. You came to me in your time of need and I shook it off and turned it on you. I should have explained, we should have tried to work it out or something, instead of this hell we've been living in for five years. All the time we've wasted."  
  
Serena smiled. "There's a little girl across the hall who adores you because of it."  
  
"No, I think she adores Max even more now." He rubbed a hand over his face.  
  
"He's her father, Kyle." Serena said gently.  
  
"He wasn't there for five years!" He stormed.  
  
"Well he's here now, and think about it, love. If Max had stayed, Liz wouldn't have come to LA. She wouldn't have met Maria and Alex, so in chance not met you. Liz would never have the urge to move out on her own and so I wouldn't be her roommate. We would never have been thrown together so much and bam, we'd still be pining away for each other." Serena explained proud of herself. "So in a way we came full circle."  
  
"Did you really pine for me?" Kyle asked.  
  
"Yes, I pined." Serena said honestly. "I don't want to feel that way again."  
  
"We'll give it another go?"  
  
"If you're willing."  
  
"Serena, I'm more than willing." He pulled her into a hug and finally a kissed. Tears trailed down her cheeks as she sighed into his mouth.  
  
Liz knew she was going to have to talk to Kyle before anything further was going to happen between her and Max, which she had already decided probably, would.  
  
She was forced to do it sooner than later when she had walked in on Kyle and Serena the next night.  
  
Luckily she had left Hannah across the way with Alex and Maria who had promised to return her when she appeared to get too tired.  
  
They were locked in an embrace and surprisingly Liz felt nothing. Should she feel rage at Kyle or Serena, jealousy, any sort of emotion? Oh, she did feel one emotion, that of happiness but once again she wondered if that was what she was suppose to feel.  
  
The jumped apart and Serena trembled, tears streaming down her face. Kyle pulled her closer to his body and stared at Liz. "We need to talk."  
  
Liz nodded and sat, her head still swimming, trying to sort out if she was feeling any anger.  
  
"I'm not mad at you." Liz spoke before she realized she was going to.  
  
Serena looked up startled. "You have every right to be, Liz." Her accent was thick through her tears.  
  
"I don't have a right to be angry. I've kissed Max twice since he's been back." She looked up at Kyle, there was no hint of surprise "I've never really spoken to you, Kyle, about anything that's been going on between us, but there is, we're not sure what, but there is."  
  
Kyle's eyes flashed with hurt for a moment, then thought that he hadn't really been truthful with her either.  
  
"I was going to ask you to marry me, the night Max returned." Kyle started. Serena trembled against him, and tears poured from her eyes. "I love you, Liz, it'd be impossible for a guy not to, but now that I realize, it's more of a friendship love, what I feel for Serena, is different."  
  
"I understand." Liz nodded. "I don't know if I would have said yes, to be truthful."  
  
"We just had ourselves in good tangle didn't we?" Serena whispered.  
  
"So, how long have you guys been apart, before I came into the picture?" Liz tucked her hair behind her ear.  
  
"One year." Kyle answered.  
  
"How long had you been together prior to that?"  
  
"Three years." Serena answered with a smile.  
  
"What was the reason for the breakup?"  
  
It sounded like an inquisition, even to her own ears, but she needed to know. Her and Kyle were over, but she had a right to know what had been going on for the past few years.  
  
"Miscommunication."  
  
"Failure to trust."  
  
They both answered at the same time.  
  
"I think it was a little bit of both." Serena smiled and gripped Kyle's hand, "I think we worked it out."  
  
Kyle nodded at her. "We're going to give it another go."  
  
"I think you guys should." Liz nodded. "I'm truly happy for you, question though," she held up a finger. "Do I get to be godmother to your firstborn?"  
  
Serena blushed and pushed her head into Kyle's shoulder but nodded a yes.  
  
Kyle kissed Serena's hair lovingly. "We'll think about it. We're going to go out for a while, if you'll excuse us."  
  
She moved out of the way. But before she got too far, Kyle grabbed her arm. "Be careful with Max, Liz. For Hannah's sake, and mostly yours." He told her seriously.  
  
"I will. Be good to Serena." She leaned up on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek. She didn't really need to tell him that, he would be the most tentative boyfriend/partner/fiancé/husband any girl could hope for. Except herself of course.  
  
She wanted Max.

**This is just a super short part that I wanted to post before I dash off to Europe. I hope you like it!**

**TBC**


	30. Sleepovers

**I just wanted to say thanks for all the reviews again. You don't know how much they mean to me. I'd like to say welcome to all the newcomers on this story and I'm glad you liked it. It makes me very happy to know it can still pull people in. I'm back from Europe but I leave again Sunday night, so I'm going to post this now. Thank you again! **

**Chapter 30  
**  
He was standing there, waiting. Hannah could see him out the window. She was to spend the day with him all by herself. Just him and her. No Liz, no Isabel.  
  
The teacher carried on about how important it was for them to bring back their carry-alls on Monday with all the paper work filled out by their parents. Hannah didn't pay attention because her mother just went through all her stuff anyway.  
  
How would they spend the day, what would they do? They had all the way until six o'clock when Max would drop her off at home.  
  
Finally the teacher dismissed them and the streamed out.  
  
"Hi, Mr. Evans."  
  
"Hi, Natalie." He smiled. "How was your day?"  
  
"Good."  
  
"Come on, Natalie, we have to take Francesca to the doctor." Her mother called.  
  
She scampered off and they were left alone. "Hi."  
  
"You ready?"  
  
She nodded and slipped her hand into his. "Where are we going?"  
  
"Wherever you wanted to go. How about lunch?"  
  
She nodded happy with that decision.  
  
"Hannah, wait a moment." Her teacher called.  
  
Turning her teacher was holding her sweater she had worn that morning. The September mornings were much cooler than the August ones.  
  
"Oh, thank you." She ran back and snatched it. Max smiled, a month ago that would have left her blue and trying to catch her breath. Instead, her cheeks were rosy and her eyes were glowing.  
  
Her teacher walked back over with her and held her hand out to Max. "Hello, I'm Hannah's teacher, Mrs. Howell, how are you Mr..."  
  
"Evans." He shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."  
  
"Hannah is a wonderful student, Mr. Evans." She smiled. "She has expressed an interest in being in the Christmas Pageant. It's only September but we take it very seriously. It's put on by the sixth grade. It's the yearly event. This is the first time kindergarteners are being allowed to participate. I'm hoping to get a good representation from my class so they will continue to be allowed. I'm asking Hannah, Natalie Barclay, and another little boy. It's a lot of work, but she said she really wanted to do it. Would you be interested?"  
  
"I'll speak to her mother about it." Max nodded. Hannah beamed.  
  
"Mommy will say yes." Hannah said with confidence.  
  
"Well, thanks." He nodded. "Her mother will get back to you on that, Mrs. Howell."  
  
"See you Monday, Hannah."  
  
"Bye, Mrs. Howell." She waved and took Max's hand again.  
  
"So what is this play about?" Max asked, shifting the folder to his shoulder.  
  
"They don't know yet." She said brightly. "They haven't chosen yet. There's three to choose from."  
  
"Do you know which one you want?"  
  
"Only the teachers know right now, the upper kids pick." She held tightly to his hand as they crossed the street. She was starting to relax, she had talked to him many times and she had nothing to be afraid of. She felt special walking down the street with her daddy. She smiled as she hopped up to the curb but continued to grip his hand as tightly as before. She stopped by his car just to look up at him. He was so much taller than her mother and must have been taller than Kyle and Uncle Alex.  
  
"What?" He asked uneasy under her gaze.  
  
"Nothing." She shook her head with a smile. She wrapped her arms around his legs and hugged him before allowing him to settle her in the booster seat. "Can we go to the mall?" Hannah changed the subject.  
  
"Sure." He didn't know what to do anyway. The mall had many things to do and a movie theatre. He wondered if there was any little kid movies out now that she hadn't seen.  
  
"How were you this last week, Hannah?"  
  
He had called a few nights before to check up.  
  
He prodded gently asking about Liz in an indirect way. It wasn't his fault he was a family lawyer and could find things out from kids younger than her.  
  
"Kailyn is going away next week." She said sadly.  
  
"Really?" His hand squeezed hers. "Why?"  
  
"Mommy says her mommy is ready to take care of her now." Tears filled her eyes.  
  
"Are you going to miss her?" He asked gently.  
  
"Yes." She nodded.  
  
"I'm sorry, Hannah." He picked her up just because he wanted to. She let him and buried her face in the crook of his neck.  
  
"I want her to stay, I don't want her to go away." She hugged him and he held her close. He felt her tears but she let him comfort her. "I want a sister."  
  
If he could get Liz to love him again, he'd see to getting Hannah a sister.  
  
"Did you guys have a good time?" Liz asked as she opened the door to let Hannah in. She had been listening for her patter of footsteps up the stairs for an hour and a half. She knew they were alright because they would have called if they weren't. The fact that she could actually see Hannah was happy was a huge relief.  
  
"Can I be in the school play, Mommy, please?" Hannah was full of energy, her earlier worry about Kailyn going away currently appeased. She didn't even bother with a greeting she was too excited about the success of her day.  
  
"What?"  
  
It's put on by the sixth graders and other grades perform it.  
  
"That's a lot of work, Hannah."  
  
"Please, Mommy, please." Hannah pleaded. "I'll sleep in my own room."  
  
"Oh, that doesn't bother me, Sweetheart. I'll just think about it, I'll give you an answer on Sunday night."  
  
She nodded, that's the best she would get.  
  
There was an awkward silence and then Max said "I'm going to go now. Bye Hannah."  
  
"No, don't go." Hannah shook her head.  
  
He had to, he was beyond behind on work and he couldn't get further behind or the case he was working on would go to court. Then his time for Hannah would be extremely limited.  
  
"I have to go, now, Hannah." He told her seriously.  
  
"Can I spend the night?" She asked and threw herself into his arms. "Please?"  
  
How could he deny that? He looked at Liz. "Next week is when you're supposed to spend the night, Hannah." Max said.  
  
"I want to this week." She said and hugged him tighter. "Please." She turned eyes on him that were impossible to deny. They may have been his eyes, but they could convince him to do anything.  
  
"Ask your mommy."  
  
Hannah just stared at her. "Mommy?"  
  
"Alright, start packing, I have to talk for a minute."  
  
She jumped down from Max's arms and ran into the room.  
  
"Sucker." Liz smiled at him.  
  
"You try to deny those eyes when she does that." Max tried to defend himself. He could hear Hannah explaining to her doll that she was going to spend the night somewhere else.  
  
"She'll be fine." Max said before Liz could get anything in.  
  
"I know." She nodded. Her heart was beating fast. Her baby was going away for the night, with Max. "I know."  
  
"He's real big and we'll be safe." Hannah was telling her doll.  
  
"You don't seem so sure, but you hear that? I'm really big and they'll be safe."  
  
Liz laughed. He took a step towards her and she took one back.  
  
"Could you have her home around four? Or is that too late?"  
  
"No, that will be fun. I had fun with her today. I heard Kailyn's going away?"  
  
"Yeah, Tuesday. She's spending the night tomorrow, Amy and Jim have a two day class and I volunteered to baby-sit. Hannah's excited."  
  
"What time is that? I can have her home so she can be here with her."  
  
"She'll have tomorrow evening and all of Sunday, she'll be fine. Come into the kitchen so I can explain meds. There's not many but you need to understand."  
  
"No problem." He sauntered in.  
  
Every time he entered their apartment he felt like he was intruding. There were papers out on the table. "Have a seat. I was going through rent papers. We were going to move but because of the money I don't have to." She smiled. She laid several bottles on the table and carefully explained the procedure. He paid attention and was grateful when Liz proceeded to write it all down.  
  
"When did Hannah start ballet?"  
  
"End of June. Just simple stuff, she couldn't do much until after the surgery. She starts back on Wednesday."  
  
"I'm ready." Hannah had an overnight bag and was smiling.  
  
"Do you have your toothbrush?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Jammies?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Clothes, and hair ties?"  
  
"Oh" She ran to the bathroom and returned with her ties and shoved them in the bag.  
  
"Let me look, Hannah bean."  
  
She looked through the bag and then whispered something to her. She took off to her room and returned.  
  
"You're set baby." Liz said.  
  
She was already out the door.  
  
"I'm going to take care of her Liz." Max said.  
  
"I know." She let out a breath slowly to control herself. "I'm not sure I'm going to be though."  
  
"Are you sure you're ok with this, Liz? We talked about next week, this is kind of sudden."  
  
"Yes." Hannah was bouncing by the door and Liz couldn't bear disappointing her now. Her hair was in to messy braids her bangs pinned to the side so they wouldn't hang in her face. She smiled as she watched her parents.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow." On impulse he bent down and kissed her forehead.  
  
"Bye, you two." Liz said to distract from the kiss that was burning her forehead. His small gestures of affection were starting to get to her.  
  
"She'll be fine." Max brushed a hand over her cheek and turned to follow Hannah.  
  
"Where's my princess?" Liz didn't even bother knocking when she went across the walkway.  
  
"With Max."  
  
"Why?" Alex straightened. "He hasn't brought her back yet? Could it be grounds for kidnapping?"  
  
"No, she's spending the night with him."  
  
:"Why?"  
  
"She wanted to."  
  
"Are you going to be ok? It's just a sleepover." Maria seemed to have a lot more confidence. "You should be happy."  
  
"I am, I am." Liz sat down. "She likes him, a lot."  
  
"That's not so horrible, is it? He is her father."  
  
"Maria, why are you being so reasonable?" Liz looked over at her friend who usually took her side no matter what.  
  
"She's in love with Michael." Alex answered for her.  
  
"Really!" Liz asked.  
  
"The man's an abomination to man! He may be a big time lawyer but the man in clueless. He doesn't even think to open a door for me, the thought of flowers? I don't even think he knows the exist. He's too tall, too handsome, and all too soft at heart. Yes, I love him."  
  
"That's wonderful. Are you going to marry him?"  
  
"Maybe sometime this century. He hasn't even admitted to loving me yet." Maria said with a small smile.  
  
Liz smiled back.  
  
"What else is wrong, Liz?" Alex asked.  
  
"You guys are too good." She shook her head. "Hannah wants to be in the school play."  
  
"So?"  
  
"It'll be so much work. I don't want to have too much pressure on her, ballet, school, the play, and Max." She said.  
  
"I don't think Max would be considered a pressure to her, if she asked to spend the night then she's enjoying it. I don't think a four year old could really have too much. She enjoys all that she does." Alex said trying to get her to see reason.  
  
"I'm not sure, but I think maybe Mrs. Howell sees some potential. Hannah's a bright girl. Let her do it, and maybe she'll be the greatest one up there."  
  
"I think it would make her very happy if you let her do it, if my vote counts for anything." Maria put in.  
  
"I have plenty of time to think about it." Liz leaned her head back.  
  
"Yeah, but you'll have to go home to do it. Michael's coming here, and Alex is leaving." Maria scooted her out the door. "I hate to rush but we have to clean up."  
  
"I understand." Liz shook her head at her friends and made her way back to her own apartment. The apartment was empty; it was going to be along night.  
  
"Can we watch Nemo?" Hannah was dressed in her pajamas and her hair neatly brushed. "Please?"  
  
"Yes." Max smiled. He had pulled on some sweats and an old shirt. "Do you want some popcorn?"  
  
"Yes!" She sat on a barstool and watched him work. It was only seven thirty but by the time Nemo was through, it would be nine and Hannah's bedtime.  
  
"I do have other Disney movies you know." Max told her. Maybe we could move away from the Nemo, Max thought.  
  
"I know." Hannah said. "I like Nemo."  
  
"Ok." He pulled down a plastic bowl to put the popcorn in. "Do you wanna call your mom?"  
  
"No." She pushed her hair back.  
  
"Alright, let's go watch Nemo, shall we?"  
  
"Yes." She jumped from the stool and went to the front room.  
  
She settled, to Max's surprise, in his lap. She snuggled close and pulled the popcorn on her lap. "Ok?"  
  
"Yeah, Ok." He swallowed the lump and pressed play on the remote.  
  
Ella was curled up at his feet, Hannah in his lap, he was happy—except Liz was missing from the moment.  
  
She laughed and the sound caused her entire body to vibrate. He dropped a kiss to her head. Startled she looked up at him and smiled shyly and settled back down.  
  
"Will you be ok by yourself?" Max asked.  
  
"Yes." She pulled her doll closer to her. She was sleeping in Isabel's room since she had phoned and said she wasn't coming home.  
  
"Ella will stay with you, ok?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah." She smiled, "Goodnight."  
  
He pressed a kiss to her forehead since she seemed to enjoy that. She quickly leaned up and kissed his cheek.  
  
"Goodnight, Hannah."  
  
"Goodnight." She curled beneath the blanket.  
  
He went back to the kitchen and pulled out his briefcase, even though he had stayed up to date as best he could while Hannah was in the hospital, he had fallen miserably behind. He was close to catching up but the case he was looking at now looked like it was about to go to court, he wanted to avoid that. Letting out a frustrated sigh he began to sift through the paperwork.  
  
It was around eleven when he decided it was time for bed. He remembered Hannah was an early riser and would rise early tomorrow.  
  
He stripped out of his shirt and slid into bed his eyes shutting. He heard a creak and sat straight up in bed. He listened for Ella's warning bark. He heard nothing but the clang of the tags on her collar and small slipper clad feet across the floor. The door pushed open.  
  
"Daddy?" She peeked her head in.  
  
She really had just called him that. "Yes?" He said after a moment.  
  
"I'm scared." She said quietly. "Can I sleep with you?"  
  
"Sure, climb on in." He held the blanket up.  
  
She ran across the room and into the bed. She cuddled close against his bare chest noticing the difference from the softness of Liz. She moved closer, and was relieved when she found she was accepted.  
  
"Goodnight, Daddy." She said already sleep taking over her voice. "I love you."  
  
"I love you too, Hannah." He answered, and stroked a hand down her back.  
  
The phone rang.  
  
"Hello?" He answered.  
  
"Hi, Max, it's me." Liz's voice drifted through, she sounded wide awake.  
  
"Is something wrong?" He asked softly.  
  
"No, I was just wondering how Hannah was doing, I feel embarrassed now."  
  
"No, it's alright." He said she cuddled closer. "She's fine. She's right here. She didn't want to sleep alone so I let her crawl in bed with me." He said in a rush not sure what Liz would think of that.  
  
"I didn't think she would sleep alone. Is she awake?"  
  
Hannah shifted a little. "Who is it, Daddy?"  
  
"Mommy." He said.  
  
"Did she just call you Daddy?" Liz asked quietly. The fluttering in her stomach wouldn't go away.  
  
"Yes." Liz could hear the smile in his voice and it didn't bother her.  
  
Her heart was aching. Is this how Max felt every time he had to go back to his apartment and Hannah got to go home with her. The feeling that Hannah's presence gave was steady and her love unwavering. Without her there the apartment seemed empty.  
  
"Do you want to talk to her?" Max asked Hannah.  
  
She curled into him and shook her head. She was already asleep.  
  
"She just fell back to sleep, I'm sorry. She's doing fine though." Max reassured Liz.  
  
"Good. I just wanted to check, I'm sorry for waking you."  
  
"I understand, Liz. Goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight, Max."  
  
"I love you, Liz." He said quietly.  
  
He was met by the click of the phone a few seconds later.

**tbc**


	31. The Day After

**I'm back for the rest of the summer! Exciting yet sad. I'd like to welcome all the new readers and I'm really glad you like it because it really makes it worth writing, I enjoy it so I want other to enjoy it as well. Many questions have been asked about Kailyn and that will sort of be answered in this part. I don't want to answer anything directly because I still don't have it perfectly planned out in my head. Driving through cornfields and vast expanses of nothing gives one plenty of time to debate on how things are going to go. As a result I have totally confused myself and hope to have it all straightened out soon! Thank you again so much for reading and reviewing, it really makes it much more fun.**

**Lissa**

****

**Chapter 31**

Liz wasn't joking when she said Hannah was an early riser. It was six thirty on a Saturday morning and the girl was wide awake and sitting on his chest.

"Morning, Daddy. Cartoon time." She bounced. She weighed nothing and he barely felt it, but he cracked an eye open. Her hair was mussed from sleep but she was grinning from ear to ear. "Come on, we'll miss Dragon Tales." She pulled at his hands.

Wrapping his arms around her he flipped her on her back. "We'll see about missing Dragon Tales." She found her ribs, exactly where Isabel was ticklish and set to tickling. She curled up in a ball from the fit of giggles that sent her into.

"Stop, Daddy." She begged. Her cheeks were delightfully pink and she was out of breath but she caught it soon enough. Ella not wanting to miss the fun jumped on the bed specifically against Max's orders and set to barking.

Finally when Hannah was out of breath, he laid down beside her. She curled up next to him. "I thought you wanted to watch Dragon Tales."

"Maybe not." She smiled up at him.

Now he could go back to sleep. But he knew she wanted to watch Dragon Tales so he reached over her to the night stand and flipped on the TV.

"I didn't know you had one in here!" She said excitedly.

She watched Dragon Tales lying next to him and finally when he had enough of Saturday morning cartoons, he got up to start breakfast.

He remembered Liz had told him something about eggs, pancakes and orange juice. He put it together quickly, hoping she was still engrossed with whatever was on now. Setting it on the breakfast tray he took it back to the bedroom. "I brought breakfast, Hannah."

It took her a moment to pry her eyes from the TV screen but when she finally did her eyes grew to the eyes of saucers. "Thank you!" She said excitedly.

"You're welcome." Max sat it down beside her and watched her set to it. "Here, you have to take these."  
  
She rolled her eyes but chewed on the pills that he handed her. She washed them down with orange juice. "Those don't taste so good." She shook her head.

He studied her as she set to breakfast and wondered how a little girl could be so brave. She had to take pills everyday that tasted bad, she'd been through five open heart surgeries, and still managed to not get behind. She had announced that she was one of the only girls to know her alphabet and count to one hundred. She went on with her life as if nothing was wrong.

Then again, she had Liz for an example. He had seen how much of her life had been devoted to making Hannah comfortable. He knew that she was working overtime the past few weeks to make up for all the time she had missed while Hannah was in the hospital. She didn't ever seem to complain. She had seemed exhausted when she opened the door to them, but when she saw Hannah her entire face lit up, and the exhaustion had been wiped away. Hannah was what kept her going. Liz was what kept Hannah going. If Hannah hadn't been feeling love from Liz then Hannah wouldn't be as secure as she was, or as happy as she was.

"Hannah want to go down to the beach again later?"

"Sure." She didn't move her eyes.

"Alright. Are you going to be ok here while Daddy takes a shower?"  
  
"Yes. I won't move." She promised.

"Good, it will only take me ten minutes."

"Are you sure you're going to be ok with Kailyn, Liz?" Amy asked. 

"Yes. Hi, sweetheart." Liz took the baby from her arms. Kailyn looked up and her mouth lifted in a small smile before she grunted and closed her eyes.

"I have her formula, bottles and everything in this bag. She should have enough clothes, but you never know." Amy set the bag down. "Jim's bringing put the pen to set up, she can sleep in there. Where's Hannah?"  
  
"She spent the night with Max." She swayed back in forth when Kailyn began to fuss. "Hush, Baby."

"We'll pick her up around six tomorrow, is that alright?"

"Yeah." Liz smiled. "Put it in the bedroom, please, Jim?" Liz directed him.

"Aright."

"When's Hannah coming home?" Amy sat on the couch. She loved the way Liz's total attention went to the baby as soon as she was in her arms. She knew it was going to her hurt Liz a lot more than herself when the baby left.

"Around four. I don't know what they're going to do today, but if I know Hannah she's awake and watching cartoons." Liz smiled. "She's very adamant about her Saturday cartoons."

"I bet."

"Are you and Jim going to go down to the courthouse to return Kailyn, or are the social workers going to come and pick her up?"

"We'll take her." Amy said sadly. "We're all going to miss her. She was a special baby. She was only around for two months but she meant something to us all."

"I know. Hannah's real adamant about that sister now, especially since Natalie's mother just had one."

"Does Max want more children?" Amy asked gently.

"We never really were planning on Hannah, but I think he does. Once we're..." She stopped and looked horrified up at Amy. 

A slow smile spread across Amy's face as Jim exited the bedroom. "You think about that, Liz, we'll pick her up tomorrow."

And she was gone.

They walked along together Hannah's three steps to Max's one. The water was comfortable having all summer to heat up and it not getting cold enough to cool it down yet. She held his hand and collected shells. She found one full Sand Dollar unmarred. She had one long braid down her back. She had sat patiently while he did it and it had taken him longer than it would have taken Liz but she had insisted.

"Look at this one." She held up a pink shell.

"That's a pretty one." He took it and pocketed it for safe keeping. "Are you ready for lunch yet?"  
  
"Yeah." She nodded and took his hand as they walked back to the pier. There weren't as many teens—to Hannah's disappointment— it was only around noon or so. They wouldn't be out of bed on a Saturday until one or two.

Lunch was on the pier end at Ruby's. They ate leisurely enjoying their time together.

"Aren't kindergartners supposed to be five?" Max asked Hannah.

"Yes, but I'm going to turn five, in November." She said proudly. "Natalie's birthday is in October, she's four too."

"Oh." He nodded. Made sense. According to Hannah, everything that was right with school had to do with Natalie.

They finished and they went walking down Main St. at the shops aligning the street.

"Hannah, come look at these." Max pointed. 

"I can't see that, Daddy." She put her hands on her hips. She was too short to see a lot of things and it didn't really bother her anymore.

"Here." He lifted her up. "They're hermit crabs."

"They're not doing anything." Hannah shook her head.

The woman walked over and picked one up. It began to squirm in her hand and Hannah squealed. "Can I hold it?"

"Be careful, your mother would be upset if it bit you and I took you home with a big swollen hand." Max warned.

"I will." She liked the way it felt in her hands. "Can I get one, Daddy?"

"Umm..." He didn't know if Liz would allow her to keep the thing, she could always keep it at his house. "Alright."

He bought the crab and it's few accessories. Hannah took a good twenty minutes picking out just the right crab. "This one."

"She's a good-looking one." Max nodded his approval.

"It's a boy, Daddy." She looked at him pointedly reminding him of Liz.

"Sorry," he cringed. He really didn't have a gender—that he could determine—but Hannah was adamant.

She carried the small box he came with carefully in her hands and wouldn't let go until she set it safely on the coffee table.

"No, Ella." Hannah instructed. "Don't bite Monsieur Cuddles."

Leave it up to his daughter to give it a French name. There was nothing cuddly about the thing; in fact it was quite ugly. He looked down at Ella who was determined to get at it and decided she wasn't the cutest thing in the world. Then Hannah. Hannah was going to be a beautiful woman, like her mother. He was going to have to buy a shotgun to keep the little boys away. He and Liz were going to have to work hard to save his baby from the immature young boys that would come sniffing around.

"You want a bigger tank for him?" He asked.

"Can we?" She asked. This one was kind of small and she was feeling sorry for him. But Max hadn't offered to buy one and she hadn't thought to ask.

"Sure." He looked at the clock. They had two hours still. He was dreading the time that was coming. He wanted to keep her with him forever, it made him more determined to get Liz back.

They came back an hour later and she carefully set up the tank. The sand had to be spread just right, each shell washed, and meticulously placed. He tried to help only to have his head bitten off.

"I do it."

"Alright."  
  
A half an hour later... "Daddy!"

"Yeah."  
  
"I can't find M. Cuddles!" She was frantic.

"Why not." If Isabel came and discovered there was a crab running around her house she wouldn't be happy at all. "We have to find it before Aunt Isabel gets home." He said panicked.

They looked everywhere. The door opened. "No, Aunt Isabel stay! We have to find M. Cuddles." Hannah wouldn't let her in.

"Who?"

"Found him!" Hannah held him up triumphantly.

"Good."

"Max, what is that?" She pointed.

"My daughter." He said trying to divert her attention. "You're only niece, mom and dad's granddaughter."

"No, you dolt, the thing in her hand." She said exasperated.

"A crab." He said meekly.

"A crab?" She asked.

"Yeah, wanna hold it?" Hannah took a step closer.

"No. I'd rather not." She went to her room shaking her head but smiling.

"Come on, Hannah, I have to take you home now. Kailyn and your mother are probably missing you."

If she was honest she missed Liz, but she didn't want to leave Max. She wouldn't see him again till next weekend.

"I know." She looked down and watched M. Cuddles make his way across the cage to water. "You won't forget to water him?"

"How about you call me every night to remind me so I don't forget." He'd get to hear her voice every evening.

"Yes!" She liked the idea.

Max carried Hannah in one arm and carted her sleepover bag in the other. He knocked and waited a few moments. It took her a while to open the door but when she did there was a sleeping baby in her arms. 

"Hi guys!" She stepped back. "Come on in."  
  
"She's sleeping." Max whispered, her arms were tight around his neck even as she slept.

"Oh." She looked at Hannah. "Go lay her down in the bedroom." She pointed. "Please."

She squirmed but settled into the familiar scented blankets.

"You should have a seat, Hannah would be devastated if you were to leave while she was sleeping." She directed him to the chair. "If you'd hold her a second, I'll get you something to drink."

She handed him the baby. "Be careful to support her head."

Their faces were close as Max bent to take the baby from her arms. He just stood there when the baby was in his arms.

"Bring her close to your body. She likes the body heat." She pushed his arms to his body. "It makes her feel secure."

He had frozen when her hands touched him. He was in short sleeves and the feel of her palms on his bare arm had his breath hitching. She looked at him her eyes sparkling. "See, it's easy."

"Yeah." He bent and kissed her. She froze before responding. She kissed him back and scooted closer. Kailyn let out a grunt of disapproval before they pulled apart. "I don't think she likes that." Max grinned.

"I don't think I would either." Liz said. "We woke her up, she'll go back to sleep in a minute."

Pulling the baby closer to him in one hand, he reached out across Kailyn. "Liz, are you still with Kyle?"

"No." She answered. Turning around she went to the kitchen. "What would you like to drink?"

"Just water." He answered and looked down at the baby who was staring right back at him. She grinned. His mouth curved. "Hi." He touched her cheek.

She squealed and studied him more closely as she made bubbles.

"Very attractive, Kailyn." He whispered. "My name is Max by the way."

She grunted before her eyes started to drift shut and she fell back to sleep. "That was quick."

"I told you." Liz told him. "You can sit there if you want, it rocks. I used it for Hannah. Sometimes it was the only thing that would quiet her. She may have had a heart problem, and couldn't breathe correctly but she could cry." She smiled.

"Was it hard?" He asked.

"Sometimes." She said carefully. "There were times at three in the morning when Hannah would just cry and there was nothing I could do. I'd rock, and rock. But she just wanted to cry. She'd settle down eventually, when I was close to loosing sanity, but I'd do it again." She leaned over the arm of the couch to look Kailyn sleeping in his arms.

"I'm sorry, Liz." He could have been there to help. How many days had she gotten up tired, and wanting to sleep, when she had to work two jobs?

"I don't regret it, Max. I think that bond there's, a bond between mother and child, but those times, where the baby doesn't want comfort, but you give it anyway, I think that's when a real bond forms. I wouldn't give up Hannah for anything. As many times as she was up, I don't regret any of it." Liz gave him a sad smile.

It was then he noticed the light circles around her eyes. "Did you sleep last night?" He asked. She looked up at him knowing she couldn't.

"Not too well, actually." There was no point in lying to him. "Usually I have Hannah hogging the bed, I think I had too much room." 

"She shared nicely with me." Max said curiously. "Her feet can get really cold at night."

"Yeah, she likes to warm them on my legs." Liz laughed. "It's a pretty nice wake up call at two in the morning..."

"They feel like ice and..."

"She won't wear socks..."

"They make her feet feel claustrophobic." They finished together. They shared a smile.

"Where'd she learn that word?" Max asked. "She would not wear them for anything last night, it kind of worried me."

"Her Uncle Alex." Liz told him through a yawn. "He teaches her a lot of things. I'm not even sure she knows what it means."

"Why don't you lay down for a while, I'm here to watch Kailyn and Hannah's sleeping." Max suggested. She looked tired, and he would watch the kids for a little while.

"Are you sure?" Her eyes widened. Sleep sounded wonderful.

"Absolutely, you'll still be here and I figure I can't screw things up too badly. If I keep holding her like this she'll stay sleeping, right?" 

"Yeah, she should." Liz nodded. Sleep. Her head was already down on the couch. "Thank you."

He rocked Kailyn gently wondering what he could do to occupy his time until Hannah woke up. A few moments later she did. She wandered into the front room where Max was rocking Kailyn. She stared for a second but her eyes found Liz on the couch.

She walked to it, and pushed her over so she could lay beside her. Liz cracked an eye open and pulled Hannah closer. They were both asleep in seconds.

Max studied the two of them together and couldn't help but smile. He then remembered Hannah's inquiries about a younger sister. Kailyn moved in his arms and then he remembered Liz's casual mention of Hannah's love for the baby. He stopped rocking for a moment and stared down at her as she grunted in her sleep. A slow smile crept across his face as he resumed rocking and holding the baby close.

Again looking from Liz to Hannah to Kailyn, he realized this was how it could be. Granted it wouldn't always be this peaceful but here was a mom, dad, and children. This could really work.

Knowing the next few days would be busy he began to prepare a mental list of things needed to get done.


	32. Please Stay

**A/N: To answer Alecia's question about fanatics, I guess there's a glitch with the new server and they're having trouble getting it up as far as I know, I don't fully understand it myself. On Wednesday they said it was supposed to be up this weekend but that hasn't happened. They're working as fast as they can. But I miss it too.**

**Lissa**

**Chapter 32**

Kailyn stirred. Max looked down at the baby it had been a good half hour and he himself was starting to fall asleep.

She let out a little whimper as she opened her eyes. Her little face scrunched up and began to turn red. She was going to cry Max realized. He started rocking again and murmuring to her as he had seen Liz do earlier.

"Hush, don't wake Liz." Max tried. She let out a small cry.

Hannah's head popped up.

She smiled at him as she slid from Liz's grip and walked over. She patted Kailyn's cheek and handed him the bottle sitting on the table. "Try it."

He did and she quieted. Max smiled at Hannah. "You're a good helper."

"Grandma Amy showed me how." She said proudly. "I like to help."

"I'm sure you do." Max told her. She crawled onto his lap and they shifted so he could hold both of them at once.

"Hold it up, like this." Hannah's small hands directed his. "That way she doesn't get the bubbles they hurt her tummy."

They were silent for a moment as they both watched Kailyn with fascination. "Mommy says one day maybe I can have a sister."

"Maybe." Max told her. "You want a sister very much?"

"Yes." She nodded. "Natalie likes her sisters. I'd be nice to my sister and I'd help Mommy." She said earnestly.

"Maybe it's your mother you should be convincing not me." Max smiled.

They went back into a comfortable silence.

Liz opened her eyes and watched the exchange. Max was so gentle with Hannah, but she had known he would be. The picture in front of her with Max holding both girls made her heart melt. 

"You're a natural." Liz complimented him, sitting up

"I have a good teacher here." Max nodded at Hannah.

"True." Liz stood. "Hannah, come take your medicine, just the cherry stuff now." Liz walked to the kitchen.

"It don't taste like cherries, Daddy." Hannah climbed down from his lap. "It tastes really bad."

Liz turned and locked eyes with Max. She had heard Hannah last night on the phone, but in person was so much more different, more personal, and intimate.

"You wanna stay for dinner?" Liz asked. "We're making pizza."

"If it's not too much trouble." He shrugged. "I'd love to."

"Does she feel wet, Max?" Liz measured out the medicine. She filled a cup of water so Hannah could rinse it down afterwards and handed both to her.

"What?"

"Pat her diaper." Hannah instructed helpfully. "Does it smush?"

"Yes." Max nodded vigorously and stood.

"Go get her bag and blanket, please, Hannah." Liz took the squirming baby from Max. "You're not just a little wet are you, honey?" Hannah laid the blanket down and Liz put Kailyn on it.

She changed her between leg kicks and a few unhappy whimpers.

Liz threw out the diaper, washed her hands and went to rinse out the bottle.

Kailyn kicked happily on the floor and laughed at something on the ceiling.

"She'll be ok?" Max joined them in the kitchen. "Just laying there."  
  
"She'll play for a little while. Then she'll probably fall back to sleep." Liz began to get the ingredients out to make the pizzas. 

"What do you like on yours, Daddy?" Hannah asked dragging a chair over to the counter. "I like only cheese on mine. Mommy likes pepperoni and olives." She made a face at that.

"I'll have the same as your mom." Max answered.

She made a face and stood up on the chair. Even on the chair she was still shorter than Max.

"Who braided your hair, Hannah." Liz asked as she set cut English muffins onto the pan.

"Daddy did." She plopped pizza sauce onto it and smoothed it around. "Now you put on the cheese." Hannah passed it down.

"This good?" He sprinkled some on.

"Yeah. One more." Hannah passed him another. "Those ones are mine." She hopped down from the chair, grabbed the two muffins and set them on the pan. "Now add the pepperoni and olives to those. For you and Mommy."

She arranged those as well.

"There, now we wait for them to be done." She instructed. She walked away to go play with Kailyn, leaving Max and Liz alone.

"You have quite the little master here." Max complimented her. "You did a good job, Liz."

Pleasure filled her that Max approved of how she raised their daughter.

"I didn't know you could braid."

"Little Miss teacher there taught me. Isabel wasn't home to do it. Thank you for letting me keep her last night, Liz, it meant a lot to me." He took a step closer to her.

"I would say it was my pleasure but it kind of sucked being alone last night." She said honestly. She had to lift her head higher to maintain eye contact with him since he was so close.

Pulling her against him, Max stared down at her. "Let's go out Liz, sometime during the week?"

"What about Hannah?" She whispered.

He wanted to say she could come too, but he and Liz needed time to talk to, to settle things. "I'll meet you for lunch."

"We'll see, Max." Her voice was quiet because her concentration was on settling the butterflies in her stomach. Standing there, against him, she couldn't think straight. "Let go of me, Max."

She pushed against his chest, and he tightened his hold. "No."

"Please, Max." She snuck a glance at Hannah who was intent on watching Kailyn find her hands. She turned back and found Max's face inches from hers. He was going to kiss her. Right there in her kitchen. Again. Her mind had been beyond muddled the last time. "Max."

Their hearts beat hard against each other. Her mind filled with nothing but Max. Max saw the change and was thankful because his mind had been nothing but Liz for the past few minutes.

His mouth was on hers. Her hands, which had been pressed flat against his chest to push him away, fisted then lifted to hold herself against the solidness of him. Her world tilted and she pushed closer to him, trusting him to anchor her.

An incessant beeping filtered through the haze.

"Mommy." Hannah called watching her parents. "Mommy."

Liz turned a confused look at Hannah across the room. "Yes?" She shook her head to clear it.

"The pizzas are done." She stared at them wide-eyed.

"Oh. Yes. Of course." Liz turned and got a pot holder out of the drawer in order to retrieve the pan from the oven. "I hope they're not burnt."

She set them on the counter. "Hannah why don't you go wash your hands and face so we can eat."

"I just did, before we made the pizza."

"Go do it again; you've been on the floor." Liz said more sternly.

Hannah walked off sneaking glances at them again.

"Max, you can't do that in front of her." Liz scolded as she busied herself with setting the plates.

"Why not."

"It might unsettle her, to see us together."

"She'll get used to it." Max shrugged, confident it wasn't an unsettled look on Hannah's face he had seen.

"Max, you have to control yourself, think of other things." Liz reprimanded.

"How can I think of other things, when all I can think of is you? You control my every thought, Liz. It's impossible not to think of you. When I kiss you, Liz, I'm in heaven."

"Max, don't say things like that."

"Like what, Liz." He stepped to her. "That I love you? That you are my everything, without you my world is empty?" He said his voice a fierce whisper. "I can't, because then I'd been denying myself, who I am."

Liz's heart fluttered. "Max." She breathed in quickly. "I love you too. But I'm not sure if it's the Max from five years ago, or the Max now. Do you love me for who I am now, or who I was, five years ago?" She answered.

He was silent, knowing she wasn't finished.

"Neither of us is the teenager we once were. We've both changed over the past five years. Until we figure out, and get to know each other again, we can't have anything between us."

"I think Aunt Isabel was mad about Monsieur Cuddles getting out." Hannah giggled over her pizza. "She gave Daddy a mean look." 

"I would be too, so describe again this Monsieur Cuddles." Liz said not quite understanding what kind of pet her daughter had. "Do I get to meet him?"

"He's at Daddy's." Hannah shook her head. "He has to stay there, because the tank is really big, and heavy. But he's really little." She held her index finger and thumb in a circle. "That's his shell. He's smaller because he has to fit inside."

"And how did Ella take all of this?" Liz asked.

"She wants to eat him." Hannah said showing her horror at the thought.

"I say they just want to be good friends." Max smirked.

Hannah glowered at him. "No. You won't let her eat him?"

"No, I promise." He said seriously.

Liz stood to clear the table and clean up the dishes.

Kailyn kicked up a fuss at being left alone for so long. Unlike Liz's prediction she didn't want to go back to sleep.

Drying her hands on the dish towel, she picked up the baby. "What's the matter, baby."

Kailyn quieted immediately once she was in Liz's arms. She smiled happily and was content to stay where she was.

"Here, I'll clean up so you can hold her." Max stood as well. "Hannah would you like to help?"

This was something she was reluctant to do but she hopped down from her chair anyway.

They worked together, Liz only scolded once—albeit lightly—about them starting a water fight in her kitchen.

"I think it's time I leave now." He had things to find out and cases to work on. Slipping a glance at Liz and Kailyn, knew there was a really important one to get working on.

"Daddy, don't go." Hannah clung to his legs as he headed to the door.

"I have to Hannah, I have to walk Ella and water Monsieur Cuddles." He lifted her from his legs. He didn't want to leave either.

"Come on, Hannah. Daddy has things to do at home, sweet pea." Liz held her hand out. "Let's go bathe Kailyn."

"No." Hannah clung to Max. She started crying now.

It dawned on Max that he had only seen her cry once before, when she had mentioned Kailyn leaving yesterday. And then it was just tears. She was full on crying now.

"Can you spend the night, Daddy?" Hannah whispered.

"No, my princess." He told her. "You have Kailyn and your mommy."  
  
"Please don't go." She whispered through a sob. It had been so perfect. Both her mommy and daddy together and a little sister, just like Natalie's family.

He stepped out of the house. Hannah still clinging to him.

"No!" She said fiercely as he took her arms from around his neck and set her down.

"I love you, Hannah." He told her firmly. "So very much."

Rubbing her eyes she whispered the words back. "Why do you have to leave then?"

"Because." He answered. He couldn't do this many more times. His heart was breaking inside. He wanted to stay, he didn't want to leave them. "I'll see you next week." He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

She just looked at him. Her eyes filled with tears and running down her face. Liz walked to the door Hannah wrapped an arm around her legs a pained look on her face.

"Please." Hannah whispered.

"I can't." Max told her. "Thank you, Liz, for everything." Max looked up at Liz who also had tears in her eyes before turning and heading down the stairs.

Hannah waited a few seconds before running to the landing. "Daddy, wait, please stay!" He was already gone.

She sat on the top step. She wasn't allowed to go any further. She sat there staring after him, willing him to come back to her.

Liz looked up when she heard the door across open. Maria and Alex looked out the door and then over at Liz. They gave her looks of sympathy and then closed the door again.

Liz's heart shattered in a thousand pieces.


	33. Making it Better

**Chapter 33**

Hannah had finally fallen asleep later in the evening. She had sat on the step for more than an hour. Liz, in that time, bathed Kailyn and put her to sleep. She wandered around the house waiting for Hannah to return. She wasn't going to bring her back in, she'd come in on her own time.

When she had returned her eyes were read and her face tear-streaked. She had let Liz cuddle her for a while before taking her bath and going to bed.

Liz was now sitting alone on the couch staring at the phone. She had to call Max. She needed to talk to him about what happened earlier. Liz couldn't let that happen again.

Serena walked in a few minutes later to find Liz in that same position.

"Is Hannah in bed already?"

"Yes." Liz nodded.

"I was hoping to ask her how everything went." Serena sat on the couch next to her.

"She'll be happy to tell you about it tomorrow." Liz tried to smile at her.

"How do you think it went, Liz?" She asked.

"Everything went fine Hannah was happy when she came home, he stayed and had dinner with us, and then he had to leave." Tears filled her eyes. "And that's when it got bad. She didn't understand why he had to leave. She sat out on that step for an hour, Serena, waiting for him to come back. I can't do that again."

"Come here, sweetie." Serena patted her lap and Liz laid down and rested her head on it. "What do you plan to do about it?"

"I don't know, Serena. I don't know this Max Evans. The Max I left had been a high school boy, still under his mother's dictates. Now, I don't know anymore, Serena. I want to take the time to get to know him again—for me. I still love him. But Hannah's reaction to him leaving, we're going to have to move faster. That hurt her too much, and it tore me apart."

Serena stroked her hair and just listened to Liz's dilemma. "Maybe having Hannah here and forcing you to go faster is a good thing. Who knows how long it would take you to get back with him otherwise. I think that Hannah is a good judge of a person and the fact that she's so attached to him already is an indicator that Max only has good intentions. I think he's just as eager to get to know you again as you are to know him."

"What do you think I should do?" Liz asked.

"Go for it, Liz. You're going to end up marrying him anyway. Don't put yourself, Hannah, and Max through the torture of waiting. Max would wait, but what about your little girl?"

"Who says I'm going to marry him?" Liz asked with a smile.

"You're eyes." Serena gently removed her head from her lap. "I'm going to bed. I have an early shift tomorrow. Sleep well."

"Thank you, Serena." Liz looked back at the phone.

"Just call him, I'll see you in the morning." She shut the door to her room quietly.

"Maria, what can you tell me about Kailyn?" 

"What do you want to know?" Maria had been stunned when Max had called her phone that evening.

"Her last name for starters." Max said patiently.

"Hamilton, I think. Why are you asking me this, Max?"

"How sure are your parents about Kailyn's return to her mother?"

"About 99%" Maria said.

"Is there anyway, even the slightest chance that she could not be given back and would be adopted out?"

"Very slim, Max." Maria answered honestly. "The court will always favor the birth family. Why do you want to know?"

"I was thinking about Liz, how attached she and Hannah are to that baby. Would there be any use trying to place her with Liz?"

"There would be no use, but even if there was a chance, Liz isn't capable of handling another baby by herself, with no help."

"She wouldn't be by herself." Max said with a quiet firmness.

"Max, I'm going to tell you something and it can't go further than this conversation." Maria started. "If you found a way to keep tabs on that baby, I guarantee you she will end up back in the system by the time she is five years old. You're capable of doing it, Max, I know you are. It would be in Kailyn's best interest as well."

"Alright." He wrote her name down. "Thank you, Maria."

"Good luck, Max, be good to Liz."

Max hung up the phone and rubbed his eyes. Going to the computer and grateful for going into family law scrolled through the list of court cases scheduled for the upcoming Tuesday. 

[i] Hamilton v. County of Orange [/i] That had to be it.

Max clicked on it and reviewed the basic information.

There was little chance that Max could redirect this case. After a quick call to the attorney assigned to the case, it was pretty much a sure thing Kailyn was going home. The look on Hannah's face when she had told him made him ache. The look on Hannah's face when he left had almost killed him. He wanted to be with his baby girl now and he wanted Liz with him. 

The phone rang and Max picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Max." 

It was Liz. "How is she?"

"Sleeping. Max, we can't do that again." Liz said quickly.

"I know, I don't think I could take it again." He answered back honestly. "Don't ask me to do that again." He added later.

"She sat on the steps for an hour after you left. What are we going to do about it, Max? If it was just between you and me we could take our sweet time. We have Hannah, Max, she's hurting as much—if not more—than we are."

"I know." Max told her. "Meet me for lunch on Monday?"

"I'm at the clinic up in LA on Mondays, I can't." Liz shook her head even though he couldn't see her. "I have Wednesday though, I work at the restaurant on Wednesdays."

"Wednesday then." Max said. 

"Ok."

Hannah jerked her hand away from Liz, on Wednesday morning, and stomped into the classroom. With an angry phrase at Liz in French she ignored her mother as she joined Natalie. 

The teacher casually walked over and smiled. "Good morning, Miss Parker."

"Good morning. We're having a rough day." Liz pushed her hair back.

"I can see that, Hannah's usually all smiles in the morning. Did you think about the play, I didn't see you or Mr. Evans on Monday or Tuesday?"

"Yes, I have. I think it would be wonderful to have Hannah join the play. She really wants to do it and there's no reason for her not to."

"I see." She said delighted. "I'll let them know. Hopefully you'll have a better morning, Miss Parker."

"Thank you."

They went out to a restaurant of Max's choosing.

He sat Liz in a seat and then took his place across from her.

"Thank you, Max." She said studying her surroundings.

"My pleasure." He nodded.

"Max, we have to sort things out about Hannah." Liz said quickly. "She's been quiet lately."

"I know." He toyed with his silverware. "I don't know what to do."

"I do." She said quietly.

"What do you suggest?"

"She wants a family, Max." She looked him in the eye. "A real family where she doesn't spend one weekend with Mom and one with Dad. She wants us to live together, and have little sisters for her to play with. She wants a family like Natalie's. She wants the dream life she deserves. Something I've always wanted to give her—but couldn't." She looked down. "I can now. You've offered me the ability to give the one thing to my daughter—_our_ daughter—she's always wanted. What I've always wanted, but we have to settle things between us, before we can move forward to be that family."

His eyes lit up. She might have just admitted that she loved him.

"Yes, we have many things to settle." He wanted to explain his reasoning for leaving them for so long.

"We'll settle them, we'll go back to my place after and talk there, and we have more freedom." Liz looked around. This wasn't a place to discuss anything they needed to discuss.

"Alright, you can come to my place and meet M. Cuddles if you want." He said, he wanted her to come to his townhouse.

"Fine." She nodded.

After the meal they walked back to the car.

"This was so nice, Max, thank you. I don't think I've been here before."

"It's nothing, Liz." He opened the car door for her and waited for her to get in.

"It really is." She said seriously. "We're, well, Hannah's not really used to this. I grew away from it."

"I know."

"Max life isn't going to just go back to the way it was. I don't want Hannah to be raised like that. Your parents were more open and loving, mine were closed off, totally involved in their work. I refuse to raise Hannah that way." She shook her head.

"I wouldn't want her to be." Max agreed. "But, my position, as a lawyer sometimes demands endless hours of work, and sometimes those corporate parties you were so fond of."

"I know, they wouldn't be very often would they?"

"No." He shook his head. "Actually, um, Liz." He looked at her shyly.

"Yes?" She raised an eyebrow but it was belied by a smiled.

"I have a party, on Saturday evening, and I was wondering if you would attend it with me." He felt like a young school boy asking his first girl on a date. "I normally would have taken Isabel but she's going with Alex, and I don't know another woman I'd like to spend time with."

"I haven't been to one of those things in so long, Max." She shook her head.

"I know, but you were an expert at them for the short time you did go to them, please?"

"I don't have anything to wear."

"We'll go shopping Saturday, with Hannah." Max said quickly. "Please, Liz, I want you there with me."

She played with the material of her pant leg for a few moments and studied her options. It would be fun to dress up again, in expensive clothing.

"We'll see." She said quietly and looked out her window.

"Don't 'we'll see' me, Liz." Max said impatiently.

"Fine, yes, I'll go." She said a spark of annoyance in her eye. "Hannah would love to spend the night with Amy and Jim."

"Alright." He sat back and gave her a smug smile.

"This is him." He pointed to the cage. 

"He doesn't do anything." She looked at it.

"No he doesn't." Max smiled. "Hannah likes him though. Do you mind if I let Ella out? She'll have a fit if I don't."

"No problem." She smiled as the dog bounded from the room.

"She'll just plop herself down here with us. Would you like anything to drink?"

"No." She shook her head. "I'm fine. Max, let's just get this over with."

"Alright." He sat across from her.

"Let's go back to when we were seventeen, Max." Liz crossed her legs. "What was going through your mind when I first announced I was pregnant?"

"When you just told me or when you told our parents?"

"When I told you." She said. He had held her in his arms and made her feel so safe.

"Everything I told you that day holds, Liz." Max said. 

"You never told me you loved me." She said. "That day when we told our parents, it was the first time I told you." She swallowed. "You didn't say it back."

"I know. I didn't know if you met them, and at that time I just thought emotions were high. I didn't know what I felt, I look back now and I know that I loved you. I've loved you forever, Liz." It was now or never. "The morning you left, Liz, my life fell apart." He stated truthfully.

"My world just came crashing down around me. Isabel knew you were gone and when she said 'she's gone', it wouldn't sink in, I couldn't believe it. But when you were gone for a week, two, I knew it was true. Then I made myself determined to be worthy of getting you back. You were brave and strong enough to leave in the face of our parents. You had the courage to protect our child when I couldn't." He took her hands.

"I studied hard, not wanting to waste time and get back to you as soon as possible. I wanted myself established so I could provide for you and Hannah. I wanted to make it safe for my child to grow up. I thought I was doing right. That missing you so terribly was right because I wasn't brave enough, smart enough, strong enough, to leave with you, or see it to make you stay. Missing you was my punishment. That changed when I saw Hannah for the first time. I saw what I missed, that I hadn't only punished myself, I punished myself, I punished Hannah, and I punished you, Liz. The very one I wanted to protect."

"I want to change that, I want to make it better, give Hannah the family she wants so badly, if you'd just give me a chance. Give me the chance to prove to you that I can make it better." He stroked the tear from her cheek. "Please, marry me, Liz, so I can make it better."

"Yes." She nodded. "One condition."

"What, anything."  
  
"_You're_ not going to make it better, _we'll_ make it better." She took his hand and squeezed gently. "Together."

"Ok, we'll do it together." He nodded, his face beaming.

"I love you, Max." She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his lips. "I love you, I love you." She said it over and over again once she could say it she wanted to keep saying it. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

"I love you too, Liz." He held her tight.

"Hold me?" She asked, her face streaked with tears.

He pulled her closer to him. "I'll hold you forever."

**TBC**


	34. The Party

**To answer Good Golly Miss Molly's question for everyone, no, this fic is indeed going to go on for a little longer. There is still something I want to deal with before I wrap it up. But thank you all for reviewing!**

**Lissa**

****

**Chapter 34**

Hannah bounded into Max's arms on the front steps before he even got to the door. Hannah had sat out on the top step waiting not so patiently for him. "I missed you, Daddy."

"I missed you too, princess." He held her tight and smelled her freshly washed hair.

"Hey, Max." Liz smiled at him. "Did you miss me?"

"Of course." He pulled her in and hugged her as well.

"Hannah bean, we have to talk to you before we go." Liz said, sitting on the couch. Max sat down next to her with Hannah firmly in his lap.

"Hannah, you know you've been asking for a little sister?" Liz began. Max was letting her do the talking.

"Yes." She nodded slowly studying her parents closely.

"Well, usually for there to be babies, a mommy and a daddy have to be married."

"I know." She nodded.

"Well, how would you like it if me and your daddy got married?" Liz asked.

"Like Grandpa Jim and Grandma Amy?" She asked.

"Yeah."  
  
"I can have a sister." She asked.

"Yes, but it won't be for a long time because your daddy and I aren't ready for a baby, but we will get married, soon."

"Yes!" Hannah clapped her hands. "Does that mean you'll live with us?" She turned around to look at Max.

"Yes." Max smiled. "Would you like that?"  
  
"Yes, Daddy I would." She answered.

"Now, Hannah, I was reading the pamphlet about hermit crabs and it says they like to have hermit crab friends. Would you like to go pick out another one after we find Mommy's dress?"

"Yes please!" She said enthusiastically. "We have to find a Madame Cuddles."

"Of course." Max smiled.

"How is he?"

"He's fine and Ella hasn't eaten him yet. Aunt Isabel is getting used to him."

"Good. He's a nice crab." Hannah said.

"Oh, remember the play, Daddy?" They were now on the way to the mall.

"Yes."

"I'm going to be one of the elves." She said happily. "Me and Natalie."

Back to Natalie again.

"You want to try this store, Liz?" Max asked. It was filled with expensive looking dresses.

"Alright." She was taken back to when she spent hours in shops like this with Isabel.

Liz took her time trying on dresses—with Hannah's expertise of course. She finally picked out a red ankle length dress. It had tiny shoulder straps, and embroidered décolletage, with a matching red shawl with the same embroidered roses.

A few hours later they found themselves in jewelry store. "What are we doing here?" Hannah asked from her position on Max's hip.

"Picking your mother's engagement ring out." Max said.

"Now?" Liz said her eyes bright.

"You can't go tonight without an engagement ring." Max kissed her forehead, "So, yes, now."

"Alright." She looked at the selection. She chose a simple one, gold with three perfectly matched diamonds.

"Beautiful, Mommy." Hannah said complimented.

It wasn't till they were in the car and on the way to pick out a new crab when something dawned on Hannah.

"What's an engagement ring?" 

"When a man promises to get married to a woman, they're engaged." Liz explained.

"Like you and Daddy?"

"Yes, like me and Daddy."

"I'm going to have a sister." She chanted.

Liz got quiet, as did Max. They were both reminded of Kailyn. She had gone back to her mother. Max had tried behind the scenes to stall the trial but it couldn't be done. He knew where her mother stayed and could keep track of the little girl for the rest of her life if necessary.

"Yes, but not right away." Max answered. "Mommy's going to go back to school first, then we'll try to get a sister for you."

"Alright." She smiled. "Promise?"

"Promise."

Hannah picked out her Madame Cuddles in a half hour, and then they got lunch and headed home.

"Oh do you have to leave?" Hannah looked up at Max after he had walked them to the door.

"Yes, but I'll see you tonight, before we drop you off at Grandma Amy's, ok?" He asked softly. "Then we'll be together all day tomorrow, too."

"I'll miss you." She hugged him but there were no tears since she had his promise to see him later.

"Daddy's here!" Hannah announced from her favorite spot on the top step. "Wait till you see, Mommy."

"I can't." He stepped into the apartment the same time Liz stepped from their bathroom.

Max's throat clogged. He swallowed several times to try to dislodge the lump that had grown there. Liz was gorgeous. He hadn't seen her when she tried this dress on. She had said it was a surprise and she didn't want him to see her in it. She had small diamond studs on her ears when that matched her engagement ring. 

"Isn't she pretty?" Hannah asked from her father's arms. He was dressed in a formal tuxedo.

"Yes." He stood and set Hannah down. "She's stunning." That didn't even come close.

She blushed. "Thank you." She reached up to stroke his cheek. "So do you."

Her ring flashed in the light.

"Do you have your bag, Hannah?"

"Yep!" She said and swung it over her shoulder.

After promises to pick up Hannah early the next morning, they left a happy Hannah at the Valenti home. 

They arrived at the house in San Clemente and Liz held her breath. She hadn't done this in so long. The demands of a society fiancé were so much more than those of a sixteen year old debutante. She wasn't sure she wanted to fill these shoes, but she knew this would help Max, and she was ready to stand by him now as his fiancé, and later his wife.

"You must introduce me to this lovely woman." An older, balding man and his wife—Liz guessed—greeted them at the door.

A butler took her shawl and Max's coat. 

"This is my fiancé, Miss Elizabeth Parker."

"I wasn't aware you were seeing anyone seriously, Max." The man said studying her.

"Are you of the New Mexico Parkers, dear?" The woman asked.

Liz clutched Max's sleeve. "Yes, Mrs.--?" She didn't know the woman's name.

"Hart." She filled in.

"Mrs. Hart, yes, Jeff and Nancy Parker are my parents." There was no point trying to hide it, these people would find out anyway.

"I didn't know they had another daughter." She looked puzzled. "You know they had the one that disappeared and it's rumored that she came to California to have a baby." Then it dawned on her who she was talking to. "Oh, dear. I've said too much haven't I?" She put a hand to her mouth.

Liz clutched his sleeve tighter, they couldn't deny Hannah.

"As far as I know my parents only have one daughter, Mrs. Hart. I guess those rumors are true then?" Max directed her around the room making introductions eventually meeting up with Alex and Isabel, and surprisingly Michael and Maria.

Isabel pulled Max to the side, "Max, rumors are flying about you and Liz."

"And?" He seemed unconcerned.

"I don't think it was right to introduce her yet." She said. "It may not turn out for the best. If you plan to marry her you're going to be dealing with these people for the rest of your career, you don't want her shunned by them do you?" 

"I think this is a test of how big my influence is. They'll accept her, Isabel, don't worry." He reassured his sister.

"If you know what you're doing." She took a deep breath. "Mom and Dad are here."

"What, when did they get here?" He asked furiously. "I didn't even know they were in the state."

"I didn't either until tonight, Mom is not going to be very happy about this."

Max was pulled away into conversation with more associates forcing him to leave Liz in Isabel and Maria's care.

Liz absently looked around the room, bored with the old women she was having a conversation with. Old society women never had anything good to say. Her eyes landed on Max and a feeling of complete happiness flooded her. Her smile faded when a young blonde attached herself to his side. He looked around the room then locked eyes with Liz. He was pleading for help.

Walking over to him with all the grace she could muster, she placed her hand on Max's arm showing off her ring. She whispered something in his ear, causing him to lean towards her. She sent a look at the girl that was clear in its meaning. He's mine.

"Are you enjoying yourself, darling?" He asked her his eyes forgetting the woman standing there glaring at them.

"Very much, love." She smiled up at him and glanced out of the corner of her eye to see if she was looking. She was. Leaning up on her tiptoes she pressed a kiss to cheek, with a brush of her lips she promised more.

"My fiancé, Elizabeth Parker. Tess Harding."

"Pleasure." Tess sneered through narrowed eyes.

"Mine." Liz reached out effectively showing off the ring when I glistened in the light.

Max smiled proud at the fact Liz could still effortlessly play the games.

Isabel froze and cursed, looking at Michael she filled him in. "Max and Liz just turned their backs on Tess Harding."

"Good." Michael shrugged and sauntered off with Maria.

"Max." His body turned rigid. Liz grasped his arm and her eyes flew up to his.

"Mother." He said. "I'll introduce you to my fiancée, Miss Elizabeth Parker."

"Elizabeth, what a surprise." Diane Evans gave Max a look that said they would talk later. It would have to wait a couple of days.

"It's good to see you again, Mrs. Evans." Liz greeted politely.

"You're looking wonderful, dear."  
  
"As are you." Liz returned. They had completed the necessary compliments; they could be relieved of each other presence now.

"How is Hannah?"

"Great." She said shortly.

Max bid his mother goodnight and directed Liz away. "Thank you for coming to my rescue." Max told her. "Tess can be a bit overbearing sometimes."

"Your eyes were screaming for help, I couldn't deny you." Liz answered honestly. "It's kind of fun flashing a ring around."

"Thank you."

They circulated the groups multiple times and by the end of the evening everyone knew her and they knew she was the missing Parker girl and the rumors that she had been pregnant were true.

"Are you ready to go?" Max asked.

"Yes." She was tired. Tired of answering questions, tired of being around such tedious people, and tired of smiling at people she knew she would detest.

"Let's go."

Max drove her home and walked her up the stairs. She unlocked the door and opened it. Serena's door was open which meant she wasn't home.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Liz."

"Tomorrow?" She leaned up on her tiptoes again to kiss him. She had to strain further since she had removed her shoes.

He pulled her closer against him. Her arms went around his neck holding tightly. Their kiss deepened, begging for more. 

Max pushed her away gently. "I love you, Liz." He had to go. Now. He wanted to do more than just kiss her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Again Liz looked up at him. She didn't want to ask but knew she would have to.

"No, Max." She pressed a kiss to his throat instead. "Stay." She nipped his ear and held him close. "Please stay with me."

He stayed.

Liz lay awake early the next morning snuggled against Max, drawing lazy shapes on his chest. His breathing was even but she knew he wasn't sleeping anymore than she was. 

"Max."

"Hmm?" He answered.

"Was it ok?" She asked shyly, she hadn't been with anyone since him. Not even Kyle. "I haven't...been...with anyone since..." She said quietly. He was her first and only lover. As was she for him.

"Yes." He kissed her. "Either have I, love."

That delighted her, but then doubt clouded her eyes. "My body's changed a little bit, well a lot, since the last time. Since I've had the baby."

"I know, for the better." He said, then he reached down and touched the tiny scar on her bikini line. "When did you get this?" He asked.

"When Hannah was born they had to do an emergency C-section." She tried to cover it with her hands, self-conscience about it.

"No," He moved her hand out of the way and intertwined it with him. He kissed her ring finger and looked down at her. "It reminds me of our baby. Don't be ashamed of it, Liz."

Moving over him she smiled down, "I won't if you won't."

"Never."

"We have to go get Hannah." Liz pushed herself out of bed. It was 7:30 a.m. Max rolled over and pulled a pillow over his head. 

"It's so early, will they be up?"

Liz just looked at Max and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yea, this is Hannah." He looked around the apartment. "We have to stop by my place so I can change."

"OK. I'm just going to shower really quick, go ahead and head to the kitchen."

"Max, let's get married soon."

"Liz, come here." He held his hand to her. "I know this isn't the best time to tell you, but I need to tell you before you absolute commit to marrying me."

"Ok." She was a little nervous now.

"You know your trust fund, the one I unfroze?" She nodded staring up on him.

"That wasn't your trust fund. I set it up to look like yours, it's my money that's in that fund, I know you're going to get mad at me, and I'm sorry because I knew you wouldn't take it from me, and you needed it." He said looking ashamed with himself and busied himself with a strand of her hair.

"It's alright, love." She stood on her tiptoes to silence him. "I understand why you did it. I'm not saying I'm not mad, but I would have had to change my life around if you wouldn't have done it. My pride would never have accepted money from you. Thank you, Max, for pushing through."

"Your welcome." He was relieved she wasn't mad at him.

"Let's go get our daughter." She pecked his cheek and disappeared into the bathroom.

**TBC**


	35. The Wedding

**Chapter 35**

Having decided that they wanted to get married sooner rather than later, Max and Liz were married November 21. Liz sat at the table designated for them, resting her feet. Hannah was on the dance floor with Max, dancing to 'Butterfly Kisses.' Hannah's pink dress went to her ankles and the five year old's hair was adorned with small white roses from Liz's bridal bouquet.

Her parents weren't there. She had invited them, but they hadn't shown. She wasn't too upset. She could get through life without them. She had survived her first twenty-three years without them anyhow. It just hurt a little. She knew Diane would have told her parents. Liz hadn't even gotten a reply from them. To her parents, neither she nor their grandchild existed.

Max's parents had indeed shown. Hannah had been hesitantly introduced to her paternal grandparents. She had taken to Mrs. Evans easily. She was still hesitant with the more formidable Mr. Evans, but Liz knew she would eventually warm up to him.

She smiled at Hannah's apparent happiness. Natalie and her family were there, Natalie in a dress matching Hannah's as an accompanying flower girl. Natalie was also dancing with her father on the dance floor. Hannah was glowing and her cheeks were flushed from excitement. They had gone the day to the courthouse to change Hannah's name from Parker to Evans. She had beamed when the judge had asked her if she was ok with the name change. Today Liz's name had changed from Parker to Evans as well. There had been questions of custody. And Max had asked why there were no records of single parent's custody at the courthouse. Liz had explained that they were at her apartment. Max hadn't replied but a smile tugged at his lips.

Alex and Isabel had plans to be married in two weeks. They were also on the floor Alex holding Isabel lovingly against him, Isabel's head resting on his shoulder. Liz had missed Isabel so much in the years she had been away. It had been hard to keep her so distanced from her life. Liz was looking forward to getting to know her inside and out once more.

Michael had recently proposed to Maria, but they were moving a little slower on their wedding and were looking towards May. Liz suspected Michael had felt pressed since everyone around him was getting married and suspected May was Maria's compromise.

Kyle and Serena were already married. It had been two weeks previous. Serena had been a glowing bride. Liz couldn't have been happier for her two friends. After living with Serena she had gotten to know her pretty well and she had dated Kyle for three years she felt she had a bond with both people, as did Hannah. Their wedding had been beautiful, and they had just returned from their honeymoon.

Max and Liz chose not to go on a honeymoon. They didn't feel it was right to leave Hannah. Hannah was going to be off-track in December and they would take a short trip to San Diego.

"May I have this dance?" It was Jim Valenti. "I don't believe I've had a chance to dance with the beautiful bride."

"Thank you." Liz slipped her hand in his and they joined Hannah and Max on the dance floor.

"You're stunning today, Liz. You're glowing."

"Thank you." She said. "For everything, Jim. I wouldn't be where I am today without yours and Amy's help. Hannah wouldn't be who she is."

"It was our pleasure, honey." He kissed the top of her head.

"My turn, Dad." Kyle bumped him out of the way.

"Sure son, be my guest." Jim walked back to find his wife.

"You're beautiful, Liz." He told her.

"Thank you, Kyle." Liz blushed. "Thank you, Kyle, for being here for me. You made these years so much more fun. You were never a replacement for him, Kyle." Liz said looking earnestly at him. "I just kind of went back to Max when he showed up. I wasn't using you."

"I know. If I remember right I pursued you." Kyle said. "You would never use anybody, Liz. I understand you love Max as I love Serena. There was never anyone else for either of us."  
  
"Thank you for understanding." She placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Can I cut in here?" Max asked.

"I can't exactly deny you your wife could I?" Kyle handed Liz over and she glided naturally into his arms and rested her head on his chest.

The song switched to Nat King Cole's L-O-V-E. Max grinned. "Love this song, love you."  
  
"Me too." She floated around the dance floor on cloud nine.

Max had taken her home that night to a house full of roses. They had chosen the house together but hadn't expected to be moved in yet. Max had surprised her and had everything ready.

While Liz readied Hannah for bed, Max set about getting everything ready. Max had gone in to kiss her goodnight. Then lead Liz downstairs for one more dance.

The white rose petals had started from the living room, up the stairs, and into their bedroom, ending on their bed. 

"Max." She sighed as the scent of roses filled her nose. "It's beautiful." She was still in her wedding dress, Max in his tuxedo.

"I wanted you to know how much I loved you." He said quietly. There was a glass of champagne and he opened it. "You've probably had all the champagne you could want but would you like another glass?" He asked.

"Sure." She stepped into the room, her dress swishing.

'I Shall Believe' by Sheryl Crow came over from the CD player. Liz smiled and remembered they had chosen it as their song way back in high school.

She slid into his arms easily. "I love you so much, Max." She rested her head against his chest and listened to his steady heart beat.

"I love you too." She felt the rumble of his voice against her cheek. "So much." He pressed a kiss to her head, and then led her to the bed.

They lay awake a few hours later. They had climbed into night clothes anticipating a nightly visit from Hannah. Max's chest was bear and Liz rested her head against him. It was her favorite spot to lay. To feel the steady beat, the warmth from his heart.

They heard a steady pitter-patter of feet. "She's coming."

"I know." Liz said through a yawn. Her eyes were drifting closed and her body was completely relaxed.

"Mommy, Daddy?" She pushed the door open. "I'm scared."

"Come in." Max called. He suspected Liz was already asleep, her breathing was completely even.

She crawled in and Max winced at her cold feet. She laid on his other side and threw her arm around him. He pulled her closer and she curled into him. "Night, Daddy."

"Goodnight." The identical heads were asleep on his chest, and he was completely happy.

_December 15_ "You ready to go to the play?" Liz slipped an earring in her ear and looked up the stairs. "Max come on."  
  
"I'm coming, I just have to get the video camera." 

Rolling her eyes, she looked at him. "Alex will have one."

"I want to have ours, Liz." He came down the stairs. She automatically reached to fix his tie and he waited for her to finish. When she turned back around he loosened it a little.

"Leave it alone, Max." She told him while digging through her purse.

"Yes, Mom." He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back against him. "I love you." He whispered in her ear.

She leaned against him for a moment and then returned the sentiment. It felt good to be able to do so. To express their feelings whenever it suited them to do so.

"Ok, let's go."

There were about fifteen elves on stage but it was easy to pick out which one was Hannah. She was the shortest. Max squirmed in his seat.

"Here's her part, are you ready?" Liz asked poking him.

"Yes." He assured her and held the camera a little higher to see her.

"I am one of Santa's helpers and my job is to sort the toys for the boys and girls." She said perfectly. She beamed and went back to her spot on stage.

"That was our baby." Max said.

"Yes." Liz smiled, proud of her daughter.

They went out for ice cream afterwards with everyone.

"I can walk now, Uncle Alex." Hannah giggled.

"I know, I prefer to hold you." He hugged her close before letting him go. She slipped her hand into Max's hand. It had been so long since she had been a tiny baby. He remembered holding her and when...he was getting too sentimental. "Our baby's all grown up, Liz." Alex swung an arm around his best friend.

"She's five, Alex." She laughed. "Hardly all grown up."

"Don't you miss when she was tiny?"

"Sometimes." Was her answer then looked up at Max. "But maybe there will be more."

"You're not...?" He asked suspiciously looking at Max.

"No!" She gasped. "Not right now, we're going to wait till we're more settled."

"Oh." He nodded. "You better not be yet."

"Don't worry, Hannah would be in seventh heaven though." Liz smiled. "She already is."  
  
"How about you and Max?" Alex asked.

"We're getting along. Settling in, getting used to being married. The house is wonderful, Hannah has her own room that she actually sleeps in once and a while."  
  
"She still shares a bed with you."

"We try not to let her, but it's so hard. We usually end up putting her back but she always ends up in our bed each morning."

"How do you...um...?" He asked.

"Didn't you hear that you don't when you have kids?" Liz said straight-faced.

Alex paled, "Maybe I can talk Isabel into waiting a little longer."

"Just kidding, Alex." She laughed at his distress. "We have our ways."

"Good." He swallowed. "That's good, I'm going to go find my wife now."

He wandered off.

_ A year later_ "Well, Mr. and Mrs. Evans, I want you to look at this." The doctor threw the file down on the desk. 

"What is this?" Max asked. Hannah picked up the pictures and looked at them from her perch on Max's lap. She squirmed uncomfortably as she hit the bruise on her leg. She winced and lost her balance. Max steadied her and held her while she got comfortable. He understood the heart catheter she had been in two weeks earlier had left its mark heavily on her.

"What is this, Doctor?" She asked.

"That, my dear Evans family, is the picture of as near to a perfect human heart as you could get from being born with a heart defect. That is your heart, Hannah." He smiled then.

"My heart?"

"Even more perfect than any of our predictions at her birth." The doctor said proudly.

"I'm all better?" 

"Yes." He answered. "I'll see you in five years, Hannah."

**TBC**


	36. New Babies and Family Members

Chapter 36**  
**

Five Years Later

Max sank into the chair outside the hospital room in a fit of relief. He hated hospitals. A nurse wandered by and another shouted for a doctor. He didn't think there was ever a time he had been in a hospital for anything good. The only good things that came out of hospitals were babies.

After resting for a moment he decided he needed to go tell everyone how everything went. They were in there cleaning her up and he had time to recuperate.

When he entered the waiting room he tried to ignore the pang of jealousy he got when he saw her curled in Kyle's lap. She rose when she saw him and walked to him. He pulled her to him. "You should have brought your coat like I told you; you know how cold it gets in hospitals."

"I know. Is she ok?"

"Perfect, everything's wonderful."

"Are you sure?" Amy Deluca asked concerned, but with a smile on her face. "There were complications last time."

"I'm sure, she did beautifully." Max answered truthfully. "There was a minor complication but nothing too bad. I was a little worried about her though. It went longer than it was supposed to and we lost a heartbeat for twenty seconds."

"What?" Her brown eyes were shadowed with worry.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, everything's fine now."

She looked up at him. Her long brown hair captured in a pony tail, her eyes full of worry. "Can I see her?"

"Yes, let's go meet your new brother, Hannah." He swung an arm around his daughter and led her back to the hospital room.

Liz was sitting up in the hospital bed with little Holden safely tucked into her arms.

"Hey, Hannah." Liz greeted.

"Hi, Mom." She said shyly as she walked towards the bed.

"Come meet Holden." Liz invited. "Come on, he's perfect."

Hannah looked down at her brother and studied him. "Can I hold him?"

"Sure." Max took him from Liz's arms and put him in Hannah's. "Why don't you sit down?"

She sat in the chair and looked at the little boy in her arms. Her brother. They shared their father's eyes, and ears, they had the same chin, the one Max had said was totally Hannah. He started to fussing and Hannah handed him back.

"Hey, Holden, what's wrong, baby?" Liz asked quietly. The baby settled down in the familiar arms of his mother. "You need to get to know your sister, she's gonna help take care of you."

"No, Mom." Hannah smiled mischievously. "I do believe I said I would help with a sister, Holden is my brother." Then her eyes filled with tears. "Daddy, I wish Kailyn could see him."

Five year old Kailyn had almost been theirs. Max had gotten wind of her being in foster care again, and Kailyn had been placed with Amy and Jim Valenti. They had pushed to get licensed to take Kailyn, but it hadn't been quick enough. Kailyn was put back with her mother. This only three weeks before.

"I do too, princess." Max pulled her to him. "She wanted to see the baby so badly."

Liz nodded as well, she had been the most depressed about it. She was the social worker and she had failed to protect an innocent child. She knew the home was bad but there was nothing she could do.

"Even though he's a boy, Mom, I still love him." Hannah smiled. "You tried."

"Thanks, I'm glad I have your clearance." Liz laughed.

"You're welcome." Hannah sat on Max's lap. "He looks like you, Daddy."

"Thank you." Max was overjoyed. He missed this last time, he was determined never to miss anything of little Holden's life.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Liz called.

"Hello, how are you feeling?" Amy bustled in and set the bouquet of flowers on the table.

"Great." Liz answered. There wasn't any need for an emergency c-section like last time. "I'm going home in two days at the latest." Liz said happily. "Here he is."

"Oh, my little handsome boy." Amy cooed over him. "Look at you, looking just as handsome as your daddy." She picked him up. "What's his name, Liz?"

"Holden Alexander Evans." Liz said proudly.

"Nice manly name." Amy said with a smile. "Jim wishes he could be here but there was an emergency."

"It's alright; I think Holden will forgive his Grandpa Jim this one time."

"Max, um, could I speak to you for a minute?" Kyle said from the doorway.

"Sure." He said uncertainly and nudged Hannah from his lap. "I'll be back."

"What's up?" Max asked. Kyle and him hadn't really gotten along very well. They were good in each other's presence, but there was always some underlying tension.

"Look, I just want to get this off my mind. Take care of them."

Max raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"You ever wonder why I call Hannah, mon papillion?" He asked.

"No, since I have no clue what it means." Max answered.

"It means my butterfly. If you could see the changes Hannah went from when she was born to when she met you at four years old, it is amazing. It was like a whole new person. She transformed, like butterflies do. I never knew how fitting it would be until you came back into the picture. She blossomed under the care and love you and Liz shower on her. Keep it up."

"So are you saying I'm good or bad for her?"

"I'm saying you're good, just continue to be, I'm watching you." He sauntered back into the room, leaving Max to ponder what he had said.

_Two years later _

Liz stretched; her large belly bumped the desk and made it uncomfortable to sit at it. She was happy today was her last day before she went on maternity leave. They were giving her extra time than normal and she was thankful.

She had just placed her last case into another foster home. She tossed the folder into her replacement's pile. "Good riddance to that girl," Liz muttered to herself. She had moved the girl six times in the last five months. The next stop for her was a permanent group home but it was no longer Liz's concern because she was going home.

The phone rang and she cursed whoever was on the line. She wanted to go home and play with Holden and ask Hannah about her day.

"Hello?"

"Liz, we have a hospital case, can you meet me down there?"

"Max, I'm not supposed to take anymore cases." Liz said annoyed. Every once in a while they were paired together on certain cases, but it was a rare occurrence because of conflicts of interests. "I was on the way to pick up the kids."

"Liz, you have to come. Remember the foster/adopt license we got, we're going to use it now." He said urgently.

"Max, I'm thirty two weeks pregnant, I don't think now is the best time." She said irritated.

"I know, love, but you need to get down here. I already called Amy."

"Alright." Liz said exasperated and hung up the phone. She was tired and rubbed her hand across her eyes. She had had trouble during the being of her pregnancy which was why she had extra maternity leave time. She knew it must have been urgent else Max would never have pushed her.

She pulled into the hospital, showed her ID at the counter of the emergency room.

They directed her to a curtained off room. She didn't like hospitals no need to explain why.

"Liz!" Max called over to her.

"I'm here." His face showed the urgency he refused to let get into his voice. "What's wrong?"

"My wife's here." Max said to an officer.

"I'm Officer Benson; will you please sit down, Mr. and Mrs. Evans?" He led them to two seats. "I'm aware that you two are quite experts at this case."

"Who is it?" Liz asked already dreading the answer.

"Kailyn Hamilton." He said.

Liz's face paled. "Oh, God, how bad is she, can we see her?"

"Not yet, Mrs. Evans. I understand, but you need to wait while I explain what's going on."

She nodded.

"Early this morning, Kailyn was brought in and treated for multiple bruises, a broken wrist, ankle, and a few cracked ribs. She was treated for concussion and multiple scans performed to make sure she's ok. Her right eye is swollen shut."

Liz whimpered and settled her head on Max's shoulder quietly waiting for the rest. "They're going to release her tonight, but only to you two. They wanted to keep her but the girl is terrified."

"Do they know who did it?" Max asked, venom in his voice.

"Mom's newest boyfriend." He said. "Mom was found dead. Bullet through the head, she was in pretty much the same shape as her daughter. They found the boyfriend down the street a few hours later. Kailyn was found cowering behind the couch. It's a miracle she's alive."

"Can we see her, now?" Liz was shaking. "Please, she knows me; I need to see my little girl."

"Right this way." He took them, "Be careful not to startle her. Talk before you enter." He placed a restraining arm on Max. "She doesn't like men. She cowers. Wait a minute, let your wife talk to her first."

Max nodded. "Alright." He watched from outside as his wife approached the figure on the bed.

"Kailyn." She didn't stir.

"Kailyn. Do you remember me sweetheart?" Liz called softly. Tears came to her eyes when she saw the poor girl.

"Liz?" She didn't want to move her head, it was pounding. "Liz."

"I'm here, sweetheart." Liz crouched down awkwardly. Her face looked horrible. "Oh, sweetheart, I've missed you."

"Liz." A tear dropped from her face and she moved her good wrist. "You're going to stay with me?"

"Yes, baby, I'm going to stay here." Liz answered and squeezed her hand slightly. "Do you remember Max, my husband?"  
  
"Yes," Kailyn whispered. "I do."

"Do you want to come home with us?" Liz asked. "They'll let you leave, but only if you come home with us."

"Yes." She nodded. "Camilla's dead." She stated. She never called her mother 'Mom'.

"I know, honey." Liz said.

"I can't go back with her anymore." She said again. Her voice stated everything as fact, no emotion.

"I know. You'll stay with us, Kailyn, would you like that?"

Again Kailyn just nodded.

"In order to take you home with me, sweetheart, Max has to carry you. I can't, with the baby in here." She patted her round tummy.

Automatically Kailyn's hand reached out to touch the bulge of her tummy.

"I thought you had the baby."

"I did, this is a different baby, sweetheart. The other baby's at home, with Hannah, waiting to meet you."

"Hannah?" There was a small flicker of something in the eye that wasn't swollen shut.

"Yes. My husband's going to come in now, don't be afraid he's not going to hurt you."

"Kailyn." His voice was low.

Her body stiffened. She knew the voice, knew that he wouldn't hurt her but she was still scared.

When he picked her up she went completely stiff. He carried her to Liz's car and buckled her in.

"I'll meet you at the house, Liz, be careful." He pulled her close for a second."I will, you be careful too, Max."

Liz pulled out of the hospital toward home.


	37. Kailyn and Caleb

Chapter 37

"We're home." Max set Holden on his feet and Hannah squeezed by him into the house.

"Hey." Liz greeted him. "How'd your day go?"

"Good." He pulled her close until Holden's insistent pounding on her leg led her attention to him.

"Hi, baby." Liz picked him up. "How were you?"

"Not a baby, Mommy." He wrinkled his face. "Love you." He hugged her.

"I love you, too." She hugged him tight loving his childish smell. There was something sticky on his cheek but she didn't want to fight him to clean it up. Undoubtedly Amy hadn't been able to get within a few feet of him with a washcloth. "What's on your cheek?"

"Popsicle." He said. "I was good boy."  
  
"That makes Mommy so happy when you're a good boy, Holden." Liz complimented him. They were having a problem with him sharing the toys. Liz had taken him one morning and had to drag him off another poor kid who he had tackled to the floor.

"Down, please?" He asked.

Liz set him on his feet again and he ran off to pull out his blocks.

"How's Kailyn doing today?" Max asked.

"She slept most of the day. The pain killers they give her knock her out. I think that is the best. She'd never sleep otherwise. I think she has a hard time believing she's safe here." Liz told him.

"I think it's best if you stayed out of there for a while. She's terrified of men. Jim came by earlier and she shook so bad I thought she was going to lose the little bit of broth I could get in her. It took a lot out of her yesterday to let you carry her in."

"I brought her something." Max opened his briefcase. A doll with its head coming off on one side, in a lavender dress lay on top. It matched the one Hannah had on her bed perfectly. "They found this at the house they figured she'd want it."

"Yes, she would. I should fix the head." Liz took it gently in her hands. It was a lot dirtier than Hannah's. "I'll do that now. Dinner's on the stove, simmering this will only take a second." She went to get her sewing kit and set it out on the table. Ten minutes later the head on the doll was firmly in place. "Should I clean it?"

"No, give it to her now, and if she wants it cleaned later we'll do it." Liz got up to take it to her. "No, wait a minute."

He walked to the sewing basket. "Could you put a neck collar on her like she's getting better too?"

"That's a good idea. Could you get me the craft sticks that are in the same closet as my sewing kit?" Liz sat down to examine the work.

Fifteen minutes later the doll was splinted and put together exactly same way Kailyn was. "Look good?" Liz held the now stiff doll up.

"Yes." He said. "Go before dinner's ready. Then I want you to take a nap."

"Max." She glared up at him. She couldn't be mad because he understood his uneasiness about her carrying. She had miscarried a baby a year before she had Holden and she was having difficulties with this pregnancy. "I'm almost there, nothing's going to happen."

"Please, Liz?" Max pleaded.

"Alright." She nodded. "I'll just give this to her, then I'll lay down."

"Kailyn?" Liz opened the door. Hannah was sitting in the chair beside the bed talking softly to her. "Hi, Hannah bean." Hannah was showing Kailyn Monsieur Cuddles III. The original Monsieur and Madame Cuddles had died ten years earlier and they had steadily replaced them over time.

Hi, Mom." Hannah looked up. When she came closer she placed her hand on Liz's belly and received a kick from her sibling. Her face split into a smile. "Hi, baby. Here Kailyn, you want to try it?" Hannah turned to her.

Kailyn usually refrained from touching people unnecessarily but her face was eager. "Yes, please."

Hannah gently took her hand and placed it on Liz's stomach. When Kailyn felt the kick she gave a smile.

"Say hi to the baby. Then next time he'll kick again." Hannah told her. "That's what I always do."

"Hi, baby." She said quietly. "Do it again, please." She whispered.

The baby answered with a kick. "See he likes you." Liz smiled. "Max brought you something home from work." Liz sat down on the side of the bed.

"What?" Kailyn asked. No one ever brought her anything.

"This." Liz handed her the doll.

Her one eye widened and her face lit up for a second. "She's getting better like me?"

"Yeah." Liz said. Hesitantly she reached out to brush her brown hair out of her face. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"

"Ok. My head hurts."

"I'm sure it does, honey." Liz comforted. "It's going to hurt for a few days but in a few days you'll start feeling better."

"I don't want it to hurt, Liz."

"I know, and I don't want you to hurt." Liz told her sadly. "You'll feel better soon. If you want I can have Max come and to bring you out to the couch."

Kailyn froze and shook her head. "No."

"That's ok, Hannah will you stay in here with her while I go rest for a little while?"

"Yes." Hannah nodded. "I'll stay here, where's the dog?"

"In the backyard, please leave her there." Liz stood and made her way to the door. Maybe laying down was a good idea. "Tell Daddy to keep an eye on Holden, please?"

Liz woke up and was surprised to find it was dark outside.

She checked in on Kailyn who was asleep and continued downstairs. "Hi, Mommy!" Holden said sliding from his father's lap.

"Hi." She smiled at her family. Hannah was also on the couch next to them resting her head on his shoulder. "No one woke me."

"You were tired." Max shrugged and pulled Holden back into his lap. He didn't like it when Liz carried him and this was the only way to make sure she didn't.

"Did you guys eat dinner?"

"Yeah, are you hungry, you want me to get you anything?" He stood and plopped Holden into his sister's lap. "I left a plate for you."

"I can get it." Liz smiled at her husband's attentiveness. She let him dote because she knew he was still feeling bad about not being there for Hannah twelve years earlier. Had it really been twelve years?

"I'll get it, go ahead and sit down." He directed her to the kitchen table.

"Ouch!" The cry came from Hannah in the other room. "Holden, let go!"

Max went to retrieve him from Hannah and sat him in a chair at the table. "Stay there." Max said sternly. He had taken to pulling Hannah's hair, and only Hannah's hair.

"You're mean, Daddy." He crossed his arms in a pout.

Liz tried not to smile. Max went about the kitchen putting things together and setting it in front of Liz sat down with her.

"How was your day at the office, were there a lot of reporters? That Taylor case is really making it big all over the state." Liz said after taking a bite. "Do they know about Hannah yet?" Max had gotten an assignment dealing with a major television star and a custody battle. Television crews had parked their car outside of his office and awaited every detail.

"Yes. They refuse to settle it outside of court." He said. He liked going to court once in a while. It kept things interesting. "Trial is set for Monday. And no, they don't know about her. Yet."

"You'll do great." She encouraged. "Don't worry about Kailyn."

Hannah decided to join them in the kitchen. "Mom, can Natalie spend the night tomorrow, please?"

"I don't know sweetheart." Liz answered honestly. "With Kailyn here I don't think that would be wise."

"Would you like some ice cream?" Max asked.

"Please?" Holden called. He was a sucker for ice cream.

"Yes, Daddy." Hannah answered. Max set the bowls in front of both of them. He pressed the suction down on Holden's bowl so he couldn't chuck it somewhere.

"Please, Mom, we won't make noise, I promise. Natalie said she could help me rehearse my lines."

"We'll see." Natalie and Hannah were active in a local county chapter playhouse. Both loved acting and had decided they would go to Hollywood together. Natalie seemed to be leaning more towards wardrobe and make-up where Hannah loved acting.

She gave Liz an unhappy look. She knew what that meant. Shifting so she was cross-legged in the chair, she looked at Liz.

"Mom, can I get a bra?"

Max turned bright red and his mouth hung open. The question had startled Liz also. She looked at her daughter for a second before her mouth started moving.

"Hannah..." She didn't know what to say.

"All the girls at Junior High will be wearing them, please Mom?" She pleaded.

She really didn't have anything to put in a bra. "Well, Hannah you really don't have a need for one yet." She said carefully so she wouldn't hurt her little girl's feelings.

"Mom..." She whined. She didn't want to be reminded of what she didn't have.

"You brought this up yourself, dear."

"Holden, let's go do some manly things." Max scooped him up into his arm letting out a string of giggles. Holden expertly pulled his bowl up and held it to Max.

"I do it!"

"Lovely." Max said to himself.

"I'm eleven, it's time, Mama." Hannah said trying to look grown up. "I even got a real summer this year."

The time between six and seventh grade, elementary and Junior High school, was the first summer the kids got. Elementary had year round where the junior high was traditional.

"Maybe a camisole would do. Not a bra yet, Hannah bean."

"Oh, Mom..."

"You got your answer." Liz finished eating and got up.

Hannah let the conversation drop. She walked to the sliding glass door and let the whimpering dog in. She plopped herself right in the middle of the kitchen. They joked that Ella had become Liz's dog more than anyone else's. She dutifully followed Liz everywhere and when she left she sat in front of the door eagerly awaiting her return.

Liz went upstairs to check on Kailyn and heard the persistent click of paws behind her.

"So is Hannah going to get a bra?" Max asked as Liz puttered around getting ready for bed.

"Maybe." Liz sat down in a chair to brush out her hair.

"But she's just a baby!" Max said incredulously. His baby couldn't need a bra yet. "Why would she want to wear one, don't little girls fight having to wear them? Isabel hated it."

"When they start early they don't, but when they're starting seventh grade and facing the locker room they want to." Liz explained. "It's quite depressing being small when all the other girls are growing and showing off, I would know, Max."

"But you turned out just fine; she doesn't need to wear one yet." Max tried to get her to have common sense.

"Max I'm thirty years old and have had and nursed two babies, soon to be three. It doesn't count for me. She's eleven and telling her that after she has babies she'll grow breasts wouldn't make her very happy." Liz told him and climbed into bed.

"I told her she could wear a camisole. A bra would be too uncomfortable for her."

"But, Liz!"  
  
"Drop it, Max." She closed her eyes.

"Liz..." He didn't want his baby to grow up.

"Max, I'm tired." Liz said with a small whine in her voice. She never whined but he fell for it.

"Sorry, are you feeling ok, you want water or anything?" Liz had to fight to keep the smile off her face.

"I'm fine," she couldn't resist smiling.

"You did that on purpose!" He realized.

"It worked didn't it?" She said and lay against the pillow. "Go to sleep."

He let the matter drop.

iThree weeks Later/i

"Liz!" The scream pierced through Liz's sleep. She sat up awkwardly around her bulging stomach. Her heart beat rapidly when she realized it was Kailyn.

Max was already out of bed and came around to help his wife up. "Come on." He encouraged her.

He could see she wanted to get there faster but the baby was making it difficult. It had been several weeks since Kailyn had moved in with them and getting closer to Liz's due date. Kailyn could now see out of both eyes and would sometimes come down and sit with the family. The bruises had mostly gone away. He could see the toll this was taking on her and wondered if he should call Amy over to help.

She stood and Max handed her the bathrobe and slippers. He knelt down and helped her slip her feet into them. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

She slipped into the bedroom. "I'm here, Kailyn."

"Liz..." She called again.

"Kailyn, wake up." Liz held the girl against her.

"Liz." She sunk against her.

"You're ok, you're safe." Liz cooed. Kailyn shifted and she let out another whimper when she hit her hurt wrist.

"He came again." Kailyn whispered.

"He won't come here." Liz promised. "He can't, Max and I won't let him."

They didn't understand, Kailyn thought to herself. He would come if he felt like it. No one could stop him. That's why her mother had died. Camilla had kept him from her and now Camilla was dead. He would come and get her; it was only a matter of time. Maybe he would come and get Max and Liz too. Maybe Hannah and Holden. The thought terrified her.

"He'll get you too."

"No, he won't sweetheart." Liz said. "Go back to sleep, honey."

"No!" Kailyn clung to her.

"Why don't you come to bed with me and Max?" Liz asked. She tried to fight the yawn. She couldn't do this and it flustered her. She was thirty five weeks pregnant. The baby would come anytime now. She needed to sleep, but she wanted to help Kailyn. If only she would trust Max.

"Ok." She said after a minute.

They had offered before but she had always refused. She didn't want to be anywhere near any man. Not Jim, not Max, not Kyle, no males.

Liz helped her out of the bed and Kailyn leaned against her. The cast on her foot made it difficult to walk without assistance.

Max was surprised when he saw Liz and Kailyn enter the bedroom. Kailyn crawled in and Liz got in after her.

She lay there for a few minutes. Kailyn pressed herself against her side. It made Liz unbearably hot in the late July heat but Kailyn didn't seem to notice. Max got back into the bed as well. Kailyn stiffened for a moment and then began to relax. Max sighed and both went to sleep.

Liz sat on the edge of the pool, her feet in the cool water. Max had dragged over a sun umbrella to shield her from the sun. Kailyn's foot cast had come off and her feet were hanging in the water next to her.

Hannah laughed as Max tossed her easily into the water. Liz was hoping Kailyn was taking note of how tender Max was with his children. Natalie was there too and got tossed into the water as well.

"Watch." Holden shouted from across the pool. His swimsuit was a wetsuit with a floatation device built in. He looked like a little body builder with it on.

He jumped into the pool causing a small splash. He came up proud of himself. He had just gotten the concept of holding his breath underwater.

Kailyn let out a little giggle.

"Aunt Liz!" Liz turned to see a five year old version of Isabel running to her.

"Hi, Rachel." Liz greeted her niece. "How are you?"

"Good." She said before running to her mother to help her into her suit.

"Hello, Liz, looking as lovely as ever." Isabel greeted with a cranky six month old in her arms.

"Hardly lovely." Liz glanced down at herself wondering if the baby would ever be born.

"You do." Isabel could see the strain in her eyes and noticed the way Kailyn stayed glued to Liz's side. Kailyn's eyes followed Isabel wearily as she sat down on the other side of her. She let the baby's feet splash in the water and he laughed happily. "How much longer?"

"Any day. Seems to be taking his sweet time." Liz rubbed her belly. Max swam over and tugged on Liz's foot. Kailyn pulled her feet up and sat cross-legged on the towel. Max smiled kindly at her and looked at Liz.

"I tell him to come because we're anxious to meet him, but he doesn't listen, Is. I'm pretty sure if his Aunt Isabel tried he'd listen." Max said. "I learned early enough to obey your every command."

"Oh, be quiet, Max." Isabel splashed water at him.

He laughed and splashed back.

Liz had gone into labor that night and went to the hospital in the middle of the night. Hannah had called her Grandma Amy and she came to the hospital to watch them.

Kailyn was anxious and wouldn't stop moving. She knew hospitals meant something bad. You only came to the hospital when something bad was happening to you.

"What are you doing?" Kailyn looked over Hannah's shoulder. She clutched her doll to her protectively.

"I'm drawing this for the new baby." Hannah explained. "You want to help."

She nodded. She drew a heart and then signed her name haphazardly. "There."

"Very nice, Kailyn." Hannah complimented.

"Thank you." She looked up when Max walked into the waiting room. It had been such a long time. Grandma Amy had brought them breakfast and then later Grandpa Jim had brought lunch.

There were other people here now. She was getting nervous and crowded closer to Hannah. Someone Hannah addressed as Grandma Diane was there. Kailyn hadn't seen her before but she seemed nice enough.

"Daddy!" Hannah hopped down and ran to her father. Holden followed suit.

"You have a new brother." Max beamed down at his children.

"What's his name?" Everyone was crowded around him. Kailyn sat in the chair and drew her legs up. Where was Liz?

"Caleb." Max said proudly. "Caleb James Evans."

They smiled at the proud father.

"Would you like to come meet him now?" Max picked Holden up in his arms.

"Yes!" They chimed in unison. Holden was anxious to see what this thing was.

"Mommy too?" Holden asked.

"Yes. We're going to see Mommy." Max nodded.

Kailyn stayed where she was. Liz was in there. Max looked happy enough and so did Hannah.

"Come on, Kailyn." Max held his hand out to her. Everyone turned to look at her. "Liz wants to see you too."

"Liz?" She stood hesitantly.

"Yeah, we're going to go see her, come on." Amy, Jim, and Diane were going to let the family meet their brother first.

She walked towards him slowly. She swallowed and slipped her hand into his. It was big and warm. She fought the impulse to pull away. She pulled her hand away and he let it slip from his. She felt cold and put it back. She squeezed gently and looked up at him. He squeezed just as gently back and smiled down at her. She smiled a little back at him. He wouldn't hurt her. It suddenly filled her with joy. He was like Liz only a man. He led them back to the room, Kailyn's hand safely tucked in his.

"Mama!" Hannah ran into the room.

Liz turned her face from her newest child to her oldest. "Hi, Hannah bean."

Kailyn slid her hand from Max's and walked next to Liz as well.

"Hi, Kailyn." Liz rubbed her hair, she had seen her holding Max's hand. "I missed you all."

"Can I see the baby?" Hannah asked.

"Yes," Liz held him up, she was exhausted. This was their last one. The doctor had told them it had to be.

"He's so cute." Hannah cooed. "Look, Kailyn."

"I look, please?" Holden asked. Max held him up and looked at his wife. His eyes ran over her body for just one more check. She was tired and Amy had told him she would take the kids home with them for the night, so Max could stay longer.

"You like your new brother?" Max asked.

Hannah nodded. Holden just stared. Kailyn wasn't sure the question was directed at her. He was just so...so...pink, and squishy. She could feel the love radiating off of Liz though. She looked up at Liz and felt the force of that love directed at her for the first time. "How about you, baby, do you like your new brother?"

"Me?" Kailyn asked.

"Yes." Liz nodded.

She looked at the baby again. She loved him. It was a warm feeling inside her chest. She knew that's what it was. She remembered Max and Liz saying it to each other and Hannah and Holden all the time. She had never expressed that emotion out loud before.

"I like him." She nodded smiling. She was included in this family, and that warmth surrounded her, she was safe.

There was a knock on the door and Amy entered. "How are all of you?"

"Good." Kailyn was still staring amazed at the baby.

"Let's get a picture of the new family." Amy said.

They crowded in close around the bed. Surprisingly Kailyn discovered she didn't feel uncomfortable at all. She slid her hand into Max's again. She felt like nothing could hurt her when she held his hand. He squeezed. She stood against the bed and Hannah pressed close behind her. Max was holding a squirming Holden to her other side. Amy smiled and took the picture.

"Perfect."

"Are you sure Kailyn Hamilton is your daughter?" Officer Benson asked the man before him. The man they had picked up as the murderer of Camilla Hamilton.

"Yes." He said. "I think I would know my own daughter."

"You know we have you booked for murder, you're not going to have anything to do with your daughter, if she is indeed your daughter."

"There's no way to prove it was me."

"Kailyn was a witness."

"Kailyn is an eight-year-old brat who will keep her mouth closed. She's too scared to say anything, just like her mother." The man said coldly.

"Don't be too sure. She's in a warm and loving home now, she's not the same Kailyn we picked up two months ago."

"How charming." He said menacingly. He was going to get that little girl. She belonged with her dear old dad.

"Trial is set for the fourth of September. I advise you not to go against the Evans family. It can just be a trial for murder or you can turn it into a custody battle as well." He said.

"A child belongs with its own blood."

"Alright, you asked for it."


	38. Court Day

**I'm really not happy with this part, but it will have to do. I was going to post this Saturday to give me two more days to come up with more, but it's not going to happen. So here's the part. This part does deal with Kailyn's previous life, just a little warning. Here you are!**

**Chapter 38**

"Max, she has to testify." His lawyer told him. "It's the only way."

"No."

"Yes, Max, that man is going to get off Scot-free and he'll get custody of that girl. There would be no reason why he shouldn't. Who knows what would happen to her then?"

Max looked down frustrated. He, his father, and his best friend were lawyers. His wife was a social worker, you'd think they could work the system a bit, but this man could still walk if his little girl didn't go through the nightmare all over again.

"I don't want her in that courtroom with him." Max shook his head. "We'll do it by closed circuit television to the courtroom. He scares her, she still has nightmares. That's the only way I'll allow it."

"Fine, I'll see what I can arrange with the judge. They usually allow that for minors testifying."

"Thank you." Max stood. The lawyer left his office.

A few hours later Max picked up the phone. "Evans."

"We're on, Max." They lawyer told him. "We'll see you and Miss Hamilton on Thursday."

"Wait, I have to tell Liz, that's not enough time."

"It'll have to be."

"Alright."

"Kailyn, are you all right?" Liz asked as they stepped from the car. Kailyn's hand gripped Liz's tight. 

"Yeah." She nodded. "I think." Her face was pale and she trembled as she walked. Her new dress went down just below her knees. She wore white sandals and her long mass of brown hair was down. Liz had taken her shopping yesterday to pick out her dress along with other clothes. She had never gotten so much before. But Liz had insisted since she was outgrowing Hannah's clothes too quickly. When Kailyn thought back on it, she couldn't ever remember having any new clothes.

Max and Liz flanked Kailyn's side as they entered a side chamber of the courtroom. The door to the courtroom was open and they were just beginning to question a witness.

"Alright, Miss Hamilton, sit right here." A man said.

Kailyn shied away from him and hooked her arm around Max. Kailyn was trembling so hard it made Max's heart ache.

"I don't want to do this." She whispered. "I want to go home."

"I know, you have to do this, sweetheart. So that he'll go away and we can adopt you."

A single tear made its way down her cheek as she nodded. She climbed into the chair. "Liz." She held her hand to Liz.

Liz stood to the other side. Someone moved and Kailyn had a full view of the courtroom and she saw him. "No, no, no, I don't want to." She shook her head. "He's going to come and get me."

"Kailyn calm down." Liz said. "He's not coming, he has to stay there."

Max cursed and had somebody close the door.

"He's going to come!" She said and flung herself into Max's arms. "Don't let him come."

"He won't, and I won't let him." Max comforted. "Be a good girl and sit there, Kailyn. Please, then he'll go away and he won't ever come to get you, I promise."

A promise meant nothing, Kailyn knew, but a promise from Max meant everything.

She nodded and sat back in the chair. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." Both Max and Liz answered.

They waited patiently for Kailyn's turn. Then the cameras were on.

"Our next witness, your honor, is Kailyn Hamilton, who was in the house at the time of the murder." The lawyer proceeded to tell them about her injuries and then it was all Kailyn. 

"Kailyn, can you hear me?" The lawyer spoke into the microphone.

"Yes." She answered as her face appeared on the TV screen facing the jury and one facing the judge.

"I'm just going to ask some questions, answer as best you can, ok?"

"Yes." She nodded again. She squeezed Max's hand again and felt safe. He couldn't get her here, Max had promised.

"How old are you, Kailyn?"

"Eight." She said steadily.

"When did you turn eight?"

"On June 24."

"Did you have a party?"

"No."

"Why not."

She paused for a second. "Camilla said little girls like me don't deserve birthday parties." She said quietly.

"And who is Camilla?"

"My...my...my other mom." She said looking at Liz.

"You have two Moms?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Who?"

"Liz."

"And?"

"Camilla."

"Do you have two Dads?"

"No, just Max." She shook her head.

"I'm going to show you some pictures, ok? I want you to tell me who the people are, Ok?"

The first one was of Camilla Hamilton. "That's Camilla." The picture showed to Kailyn on a tiny monitor as well as to the courtroom.

"That's where I lived with Camilla." She said when the next one came.

The next one came. "That's Grandma Amy and Grandpa Jim."

Then the next one. A picture of the Evans' home. "That's my house." She said.

The next one was a picture of them at the hospital when Caleb had been born. "Tell me who everyone in the picture is as I point."

"Ok." She said. This was easy.

"When was the picture taken, do you know?"

"When my bro—when Caleb was born." She stuttered. She had come to think of the Evans as her family. She wondered what Max and Liz would think of her thinking of them that way.

She paused as he pointed to Liz. After a moment she answered. "That's Mommy." Liz startled but squeezed Kailyn's hand. Her stomach flipped happily.

Then to Max. "Daddy."

Then to Hannah, Holden, and finally Caleb. "That's my sister Hannah, and my brothers Holden and Caleb." She leaned forward and said it with a smile on her face and confidence in her voice.

"Do you love your brothers and sister?" She hesitated. She had expressed herself to Max and Liz never to anyone else. She knew she did she just didn't want to tell these people, what was it to them?

She hesitated. "Come on, Kailyn." Liz comforted.

"Kailyn?" The lawyer said kindly.

She nodded quickly. "Yes." That was all they were going to get from her. She looked at Liz who gave her an encouraging smile.

The next picture came up. Kailyn froze, and fear clouded her features. She closed off, they both saw it. Liz flicked a look at the screen and her heart jumped to her throat. They had been doing so well, why did they have to do this now?

"I don't want to do this anymore." Kailyn shook her head. "I want to go home." She said quietly.

There was a flurry of movement in the room. They couldn't hear anything but a series of murmurs in the courtroom. The microphone was still on. "I don't want to do this, Daddy."

No one could hear Max's reply, only a series of murmurs.

"No." She said. "He's going to come get me. Just like he got Camilla."

"Kailyn, just answer a few more questions." Liz comforted. "Max and I will stay right here."

Liz kissed Kailyn's temple and held her hands tight. "I'll be here, and Max will be here, sweetheart, don't be scared."

Taking Liz's hands in her own, Kailyn folded them over her lap and held on tight.

"Who is that?" The lawyer said again when everything was settled. The fear was apparent on her face.

"That's him." Kailyn said. She looked at Max. He promised he would protect her.

"Who's him?" The lawyer asked.

"Frank."

"Was Frank there that night, when Camilla died?" 

"Yeah." She nodded and her hands clenched on Liz's. "I don't want to do this, Mommy." She said again, looking up at Liz. Because of their position, the courtroom could hear Liz's response.

"You're ok," Liz comforted. "You're a big girl, and we're going to stay right here."

"What happened that night, Kailyn can you tell me?"

She froze for a second then took a deep breath. "Yes."

"Start at the beginning, and tell me."

She took a deep breath, clenched her hands tighter on Liz's and told her story.

_July 15_

"_That's enough, Frank, leave her alone." The words were slurred—from behind the couch, a broken Kailyn watched. "We'll have to take her to the hospital and you know they'll take her again, believe it or not, she's worth a few thousand a year." _

_Kailyn's wrist was burning like never before and she blinked back her tears. She wanted to cry out but there was no one to hear._

"_Move out of the way Camilla, she'll earn more than a few thousand a year." His were even more slurred and he reeked of pot and who knew what else he did._

"_Frank, she's eight." Camilla swayed on her feet. _

_Kailyn shrank back and fell on her wrist and cried out in pain. Tears burned her eyes as she tried to move back out and go to her room. _

"_Shut up, Kailyn! Does it look like I care?"_

"_Frank, please."_

"_She's my daughter."_

"_And mine, if you haven't forgotten. I should have reported your sorry ass years ago. You know how many times I've had to go to court to get her back? How many damn rehab classes and AA meetings I've attended?" _

"_Move, Camilla." The room was starting to spin, he wanted the little girl and he would have her._

_Kailyn stood up from behind the couch and felt the pain in her ankle. It looked as bad as her wrist and the pain was making her head dizzy._

_He pulled out a gun, aimed it at Camilla and pulled the trigger._

"_No!" Kailyn screeched. She hobbled to her side and fell down next to her. _

"_Get away from her!" He backhanded her and everything went black._

"I don't remember now." Kailyn said coming back to the present. Her face was pale and Liz looked down at her hand as she released it. Five perfect little moon shapes were imprinted in her hand. "I just remember Liz and Max coming."

"Ok, very good Kailyn. You did a good job." The lawyer said. "We're all done."

Kailyn took the microphone off and turned her face into Liz. "You did good, baby." Liz stood.

Kailyn started crying and hugged her. "I want to go home now." Max bent and picked her up. She wrapped her legs tightly around him and buried her face into his neck.

"Alright, we'll go home now, sweetheart. It's time." Max hugged her tight, loving that he came to her for comfort. It was the first hug she had given him. 

iTBC/i


	39. Crushes

Chapter 39

Kailyn sat quietly playing under the table with Holden. Liz sat at the table flipping through forms of a case she was working on. She only had two cases that she was responsible for at the moment. She had to pay visits to them on Thursday. Hannah was busy at junior high, and Caleb was asleep in his swing.

The doorbell rang and Liz went to answer it. Kailyn watched nervously from the kitchen.

"Kailyn, come here." It was her therapist. It was a surprise visit and Kailyn wasn't prepared for it.

Kailyn went to Liz and stared up at the other woman.

"This is Mrs. Jenkins, what she's going to do is test you to see what grade you'll be in for school." Liz said quietly to Kailyn.

Kailyn nodded as she studied the woman.

"Come in, Mrs. Jenkins." Liz stood out of the doorway. "Let me move these things out of your way and you can use the kitchen table."

"Actually the living room would be better, Kailyn would probably be more comfortable there and I wouldn't want to move your little ones."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"You'll be alright, Kailyn, I'll be right in the kitchen." She told her.

Kailyn nodded and went to the living room.

"Can you spell your name?" Mrs. Perkins asked softly.

Kailyn nodded and wrote her name on a piece of paper. It was messy and crooked but it was her name.

"Can you read this word?" She asked.

Kailyn squinted at the word, and brought it closer. She couldn't pick out any of the letters. She had never gone to school before and Camilla had only taken the time to teach her to spell her name. They had never stayed in a place long enough for Kailyn to go to a proper school.

"Do you need glasses, sweetheart?" Mrs. Perkins asked.

Kailyn shrugged.

"Have you ever had your eyes checked?"

Kailyn shrugged again and looked towards the kitchen. Liz was nursing Caleb while helping Holden color something in. She wanted to go be with them. This woman knew too much. If she didn't leave soon everyone would know that she couldn't read and then Max and Liz would make her go away.

"Alright, sweetheart. How about this one?"

Kailyn looked at the word again. She couldn't pick out any of the letters. She squinted, pulled the card closer then shook her head.

"I'm going to go talk with Mrs. Evans for a moment, alright."

Kailyn looked at the woman through wary eyes then nodded.

"Mrs. Evans, can I speak with you for a second?" She asked.

"Yes, of course, let me just finish up here and lay him down." Liz said and went to lay Caleb down in the playpen. He let out a grunt of disapproval but got over it soon enough.

"Do you know if Kailyn's eyes have ever been tested?"

"No, I don't." Liz shook her head. "I highly doubt it."

"Ok. Let me show you something, come here, Kailyn." She said. "Read this word, please."

Kailyn was ready to cry. She couldn't pick out any of the letters except for the 'A'. So she squinted and shook her head.

"We'll have them checked." She realized Kailyn was getting ready to cry. "Don't cry, sweetheart, it's not your fault, we'll fix it."

"That would be best, and then we can test her and not have her anymore behind in school than she already is."

Liz had dropped Hannah, Holden and Caleb off at Amy's so she could take Kailyn to the doctor without interference from her sons.

"Evans?" The assistant called and Liz took her back.

"Alright, Miss Hamilton, it looks like you're here to get your eyes checked, correct?" The doctor asked kindly a few minutes later

Kailyn nodded hesitantly, her hand searching for Liz's.

"I'm going to need you to sit right here, if you will?" He pointed to a chair in front of a funny looking machine. "Now put your eyes here, and tell me if you can see that. Tell me what letter it is."

"A." She knew that one. This wasn't so bad.

"Was that blurry?"

She shook her head.

"Ok, here's this one." He showed her a smaller letter.

She couldn't name it. She shook her head.

"Let's try this one." It was bigger than the 'A' but she couldn't name it. She didn't know what it was called. She shook her head.

This went on.

Liz's eyebrows creased none of this was making sense. "Doctor could I speak to you for a second?" She asked.

"Yes." The doctor was just as flustered, he had switched the numbers multiple times but she wasn't consistent.

They stepped outside leaving Kailyn in the room.

"What's going on?" Liz asked.

"I don't know. She seems to know only a few letters. I don't really think she's having problems at all." The doctor says. "Why does she say some and not others?" He asked.

"I don't know." Liz said puzzled. What was wrong with Kailyn? "What letters does she say?"

"She said, 'A' at any size, 'N' at any size, and the 'K'. Anything else she just shrugs." He says. I've never seen this happen before. I think maybe we can refer her to my partner after he's done with this patient."

Liz thought for a second. "Let me speak with her for a second."

Liz went back into the room and pulled out a piece of paper. "Kailyn write your name."

She did so. "What's wrong?" They would know now and then they'd find out she's stupid.

"What's your last name, Kailyn?"

"Hamilton." She said.

"Can you write it?"

Kailyn's heart hammered. She couldn't. She didn't know the letters. "I don't know how."

"Here, sweetheart, what's this letter?"

"K".

"And this one."

"A." Kailyn answered. Liz asked her all the letters of her name.

"Are those the only letters you know?"

"Yeah." She said truthfully and she started to cry.

"Don't cry, Kailyn." Liz comforted. "It's alright, it's not your fault." She took her into her arms. "Can you see the letters OK? You just can't read them, yes?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Ok, I'm gonna go get the doctor, and he'll make sure that's correct."

"Ok." She nodded and wiped her eyes.

"We'll use pictures." The doctor said when he came back into the room, relieved.

Kailyn tested perfectly after that.

Liz lay under the tree, Caleb asleep cradled in her arms. He had fallen asleep quietly and without protest. Holden, Hannah, and Kailyn, were playing in the yard and Liz was considering sleeping herself.

Checking once more on the kids, making sure Hannah was with them, she let her eyes drift shut.

Liz jerked awake in what seemed to be only a few minutes later. Someone was trying to tug Caleb from her. Her arms tightened and she opened her eyes.

"Max, don't do that!" She said. "I wake up and someone's trying to take my baby."

"Sorry." He smiled, a wide grin. "Didn't want you to burn."

"What are you smiling about?" She said, "And where are the kids?"

"Hannah took them inside and made them lunch." Max explained.

"What are you smiling about?" She asked as she sat up.

"They're going to hand over custody to us." He said smiling. "The trial isn't anywhere near finished, but the judge has ruled him unfit for parenting after her trial. Now it's just a matter of time before the adoption goes through."

"Natalie, where did you say it was?" Hannah shouted from the front room. She was at Natalie's house and Natalie had sent her downstairs to get something from her backpack.

"In the kitchen." She shouted back.

"Hi, Conner." Hannah greeted the fifth grader as he entered through the back door. He gagged at her and turned back to his friend. The two families regarded each other closely since Natalie and Hannah were such close friends. Hannah was just as comfortable in Natalie's house as she was at home, the same with Natalie.

Francesca was in the kitchen as well she was trying to reach something. "Can you help me please?"

"I can't be of much help, Frannie, I'm not much taller." Hannah said apologetically. She had hit a growth spurt at eleven and grew to be five feet. At twelve the doctor said this was probably her limit, she had the genes to be short, since her mother stood at five two and because of her heart she didn't have enough oxygen to support limbs that were too long.

Just then, Natalie's older brother, Ben, walked in. "Ben, can you help?" Francesca appealed to him.

Ben grinned down at his little sister with affection and lifted her up so she could reach it herself. "Thank you." She said and scampered off.

Hannah remembered a time when she was half in love with Ethan, the oldest of the Barclay clan. She had followed him around with stars in her eyes for months, now, though, she liked Ben. She hadn't even told Natalie about this one. It was something more private that she wanted to keep to herself.

"Did you need something, Hannah?" He asked.

She flushed pink and shook her head. At thirteen and a freshman in high school he seemed larger than life.

She really was a pretty girl, he thought to himself. Her hair was down today and he couldn't see her little ears poking out. "Are you sure?"

She nodded.  
  
"Hannah."  
  
She looked up at him. "What?" She said, trying to not let her voice squeak.

"You're really pretty, you know that?" He asked, shocking himself.

Her eyes widened and her cheeks burned so bad she thought she was going to blow up. "T-thank you." She stuttered.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

She eyes widened. "I'm only eleven." She said then added quickly, "I'll be twelve next month."

"You didn't answer my question."

"No, Daddy wouldn't allow that." She said.

"Good." He smirked at her.

She just stared up at him; he was currently at five eight and was still actively growing.

"I-I have to give this to Natalie, then I have to go home." She turned on her heel.

"You walking?" He called.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"You still live in the same place?" He asked.

"Yeah." She said.

"I'll walk you." She turns back around and stares at him.

"I'll be fine, it's just around the corner, and it's broad daylight."

"I'll walk you, go give that to Nat and then I'll walk you."

She nodded and ran upstairs to deliver the bag. Natalie raised an eyebrow at her flushed face. "You breathing alright?" Ever since she had learned of Hannah's heart she had always been protective of her best friend.

"Perfectly." She picked up her own backpack and headed out the door.

"Hey, Hannah banana, what's the rush?" Natalie studied her best friend.

"My mom wanted me home early and I forgot." Hannah said in a rush.

Hannah never forgot anything her parents told her, but Natalie let it slide. "You'd tell me if something was wrong, right, Hannah?" She asked.

"Yes, Nat, you're my very best friend." She said honestly. She wasn't lying per say, because nothing was wrong at the moment, everything was great.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." Natalie hugged her.

"Do you like Junior High?" He asked as he walked her home. He swung her backpack over his shoulder.

"Yes." She said. She liked having the different teachers, and she had access to a real science lab. "The drama class is really cool."

"Is Mrs. Smyth still teaching that?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Dude, that woman's like a hundred years old."

"I know." Hannah laughed. "But she's really into it."

"You want to be an actress right?"

"Yeah, I'm going to win an Oscar some day." She said with meaning. She really meant to do it.

"Sounds good, I get a guest ticket right?" He asked. "I want to meet Julia Roberts."

"Maybe." She smiled at him. "I have to think about it."

"Here you are." He walked her to the door.

"_iMerci./I" _She said quietly.

"Your welcome. How do you say goodbye?"

"_Au Revoir"_ She told him.

_"Au Revoir_" He repeated. "Be safe. Go for that Oscar."

Hannah hurried into the house and shut the door. She leaned against it with a smile on her face.

"What was that about?" Liz asked, her arms folded.

"_Rien."_ Nothing. She smiled and walked upstairs to her bedroom and shut the door firmly behind her.


	40. Closing Up

Chapter 41

Kailyn had been officially adopted a year later on her birthday. The girl was situated and happy.

They had enrolled her in school and with extra tutoring and help from Liz she had caught up considerably fast. She was only one grade level behind but they were confident she'd get caught up before too long.

"Caleb, come on." She tried to cheer him on and get him to walk to her across the room.

She was a happy third grader at the same elementary school Hannah had attended. She had friends and was a completely normal little girl.

"Hannah, phone!" Liz called after the she had picked up the phone.

"Do you know who it is?" She asked. She came down the stairs, looking every bit the teenager she now was.

"Natalie." She handed her daughter the cordless phone.

"Hey, what's up?" She said into the phone.

Holden ran into the kitchen with muddy shoes and hands. "Look, Mama." He held his hands up for her to see.

"Beautiful." Liz said and led him back outside. "Kailyn, can you keep an eye on Caleb for just a second?"

"Yeah. Come on, baby." Kailyn tried to let go of his hands. When she did he flopped down onto a diaper padded bottom and giggled.

"No, you're supposed to stand up." Kailyn laughed with him.

"Mom, can I go to Natalie's house?" Hannah asked.

"For what, dinner's almost ready?" She asked taking the hose from Holden so she wouldn't get wet. "Hold still and let Mama wash you."

He squirmed and Liz got splattered with water.

"Ben needs help with his French paper."

"I didn't know Ben took French." Liz eyed her daughter.

"Neither did I." Hannah said. Her mom had to understand. She needed to go. She remembered that day one year, two months, and three days ago.

Liz sighed when she recognized the look. "Fine, do not walk home, it'll be late when you leave, either Daddy or I will pick you up, understand?"

"Yeah." She spoke into the phone quickly and was out the door.

"Hey, Ben, so where's that paper?" Hannah said walking into the house.

"Here." He said. "I don't understand anything, how do you speak it so well?"

"I don't speak it as well as I used to. My mom and I don't speak it at home very often because my brothers and sister don't understand, and it would be rude. I only speak it with my grandparents and Uncle Kyle." She rambled, she was nervous. "And Aunt Maria. Sometimes."

He smiled. "It's alright, it's only French I it'll be enough." He hid a smile.

"Oh, yeah, let me see."

He handed it to her shyly.

"It's almost perfect, but, um did you purposely use the formal form of address?" She asked after a minute.

"Yeah, it's a letter to the teacher." He explained. "We're not allowed to address her informally."

"Oh, ok. Well, look here..." She spent the next half hour explaining the paper to him. By the time she was done her shoes were off and her legs were curled under her.

"Do you think you get it?"

"I think so." He nodded. "I have to go retype it."

"Ok." She packed up her stuff. "Call anytime." She said. "If you need help or anything."

"Hannah, can I talk to you for a minute." Natalie said from the doorway watching them.

"Sure."

"Let's go up to my room." She glared at her brother to hide the hurt and followed Hannah up the stairs.

"You like Benedict." Natalie accused with tears in her eyes.

"Nat, no, I..." Hannah tried.

"Don't lie, Hannah." She said hurt. "You said you'd tell me, why didn't you tell me?"

Hannah sighed.

"Because I wasn't too sure about it myself."

"You could have talked it over with me, I'd have listened."

"I know that, Nat. I didn't want it to be awkward." She explained.

"Awkward, Hannah when has anything ever been awkward between us?" Natalie demanded. "We were best friends on the first day of kindergarten. If that doesn't cause awkwardness I don't know what does."

"We were four."

"What are you saying, Hannah?" Natalie was really hurt, Hannah saw now. She stood and wrapped her arms around her best friend.

"Yes, I do like Ben, no I won't do anything about it if you don't want me to." Hannah said praying Natalie wouldn't say anything against it. "I don't think he's interested in me anyway. I'm just his kid sister's best friend."

"No, I think you do." Natalie shook her head. "But it's ok, I was just hurt you didn't tell me."

"I'm sorry." Hannah apologized. "I have to go, my dad's here."

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow. Love you, Hannah."

"I love you too, Nat." Hannah smiled and went downstairs.

Ben was at the bottom of the stairs waiting for her. "_j'ai envie d'aller faire une promenade."_

Hannah smiled. "_Desolè._ I already called my Dad. I'm not allowed to walk when it's dark."

"Oh." He really looked disappointed.

"I'll see you around, Ben."

"_Au Revoir, Hannah." _He called back.

_iFour Years later/i_

Liz gathered the last of the balloon fragments together and dumped them in the trash. It was Hannah's sixteenth birthday and they had celebrated with a large gathering of family and friends. The boys had done their share by popping all the balloons setting Caleb into a fit of giggles. Liz had picked most of the stuff up. There were just a few more tables and chairs that Max would take into the house the next morning. Liz looked up at the house and could hear giggles from her children in the house and smiled.

"Hey." She turned and found her husband smiling at her.

"Hi." She answered. She looked up into his eyes, so warm and trusting and then felt his arms wrap around her, pulling her to him. He pressed a kiss to her head.

"Remember, Liz, when you got cake in my face this afternoon?" He asked as he swayed her to a tune only heard in his head.

"Mmm." She answered and let him rock her.

"Remember, Liz, I told you I'd get you back?" He asked. Scooting her closer to the edge of a pool he paused a moment to gage the temperature and decided it was warm enough.

"You never did." She smiled. He would never do anything back to her.

"I know." She was at the edge of the pool now and she didn't realize it.

"Even if you tried; you couldn't get away with it." She smirked at him.

"Sure I could." He gave her his own sly look.

"No." She shook her head vigorously as he backed her closer, closer...her arms wrapped tightly around him just as her feet went off the edge, causing him to lose his footing and fall into the pool with her.

He came up sputtering and she swam to the edge smiling. "You need to be more subtle, Honey."

"I'll work on it." He promised as he swam towards her.

She turned and fled as she was taken underwater. "Better?"

"If it will make you feel manly, yes." She said.

"Thank you." He backed her against the side of the pool and all signs of joking ended. "Am I manly now?"

"Yeah." She said her breath coming fast. And he bent her head to kiss her.

"Eww, he's gonna kiss her." Holden gagged.

"Alright, guys, bedtime." Hannah took her brothers and Kailyn from the window.

"No, Sissy." Caleb fought. Mommy and mommy alone would put Caleb James Evans to bed.

"Yes." Hannah picked him up and he laid his head down on her shoulder and rubbed his eyes.

She looked out the living room window and quickly shuffled the kids upstairs. She went back to the kitchen a few minutes later when her parents walked in the door, soaking wet.

"Maybe next time you guys can wait till the babies are in bed?" Hannah smirked at her parents.

Her mother's mouth fell open and Max had to suppress a grin. "Sorry, Princess, can't always do that."

Hannah made a face.

Liz let out a shiver and Max shooed her upstairs. "Wait here a moment, Princess, your mother and I have another present for you."

"Another one." She rather thought the car had been enough.

Max smiled and followed his wife.

Hannah mopped where her parents had been standing as she waited for them to change and God only knew what else.

Liz came down fifteen minutes later in sweats and one of Max's shirts. Her hair was wrapped in a messy bun so it wouldn't drip down her back. Hannah looked at her mother who, at thirty four, looked like a teenager herself. Besides a few wrinkles beside her eyes and the almost invisible stretch marks on her lower abdomen, they could pass as twins.

Liz sat in the chair and smiled at her sixteen year old. "Did you have fun today, Hannah bean?" Liz asked reverting to her childhood nickname.

"Yes, Mama, thank you so much, it was wonderful." Hannah answered honestly.

"I'm glad." Max came and picked his wife up and plopped her back into his lap. "We have something to discuss."

Hannah's eyes drew together with worry. She didn't like that tone of voice.

"Remember a few weeks ago, at the mall, when we were shopping for you homecoming dress?

"Yeah." She hated when her father started out like that, couldn't he just ever get to the point?

It had been a freak thing when Liz and Hannah were shopping for her homecoming dress. She was going to go with Ben.

Hannah had gotten into a heated argument with Liz with over the neckline of a dress. Not wanted to be overheard, Liz had reprimanded her daughter in French. Their voices, though kept low and controlled, carried throughout the store. When Hannah had gone to her father for help and pleaded with him in perfect English it had caught even more attention. A woman had come up to them and in perfect French asked if she was interested in acting.

Liz quickly translated for Max and he raised a protective eyebrow.

"Oui." Hannah had answered quickly.

"Good, I'd like to see you sometime, you might be what we're looking for. You have the body of a dancer, do you dance?"

"Yes." Hannah switched to English because she had, it didn't even dawn on her she had switched language.

"Will you come by my office tomorrow?"

"Daddy?" She asked and turned to him.

"We'll see." He said and crossed his arms.

"I hope you consider, Mr..."

"Evans." He said in a not to kind voice.

"Please, if you're daughter wanted to act, give her this chance, if she's any good then we have a part just for her."

"We've decided we're going to let you go for the part. It'll be demanding, and we're going to have to fly to Paris this coming summer, but I didn't think you would object to that."

"Are you serious?" Hannah asked. This was her dream. She had almost forgotten about it, sure her father wouldn't let her do it.

"Yes, we want you to have this chance." Liz was happy at her daughter's apparent joy. "Because you're a minor either Daddy or I will be on set with you at all times, but we already have everything arranged."

"That's fine, oh, you guys this is wonderful." She was glowing. "This could be my big break. Oh, Mommy, thank you!" She said.

"And Daddy too."

"Thank you, Daddy. I have to go call Benedict." She jumped from the chair and went to her room.

"Think we made her happy?"

"Yeah." Max smiled. "You ready to have your daughter be a TV star?"

"No, she's still my baby." Liz said remembering the days when she was a baby. "Our real baby's getting older." Liz looked at the picture of Caleb. It was a close-up of his chubby baby face with his one and only tooth showing and it was quite disturbing really, but Liz had seen it after Alex had taken it and had to keep it.

"Yeah." Max said and felt his wife's reluctance to let them grow up. "He's only five."

"I know, but he's already in Kindergarten." She curled in his embrace. "He'll want to join cub scouts soon. You should see his face when you go off with Holden. He has such longing in his eyes, it just about breaks my heart. And his sisters ignore him, Kailyn with her studies, and Hannah with Benedict. And when Holden is home they spend their time beating each other up, I worry about him."

"You'd think he was a neglected child." Max laughed. "I think he's spoiled rotten by his sisters, when they're not busy and Holden just dishes out what's necessary. His mother adores him and his father takes him to the office every other day—or so it seems. We're not neglecting him."

Liz laughed when Max put it that way. "He is spoiled rotten isn't he?"

"Just a little, Liz." Max said. "But it's ok, he's my son, he's allowed to be."

"I thought you'd see it that way." Liz stood. "Let's go to bed." She yawned.

"To sleep?" He looked questioningly at her.

She gave him a sly smile, shrugged her shoulders and went upstairs.

Yep, you guessed it guys, there's only the epilogue left. Don't be sad though, it's been an amazing ride, and I'm so happy you all enjoyed it.


	41. Epilogue

_ Alright Everyone, I worked so hard on this part. I've had it done forever but I just tweaked it and moved it and then added a few more sections. I would like to thank you all for sticking with this, it was really long. A lot longer than I thought it was going to be. I really am sad to be done with this story it kind of held a special place in my heart. Again, this was another eighteen month long fic. It's time to come to a close, and there will not be a sequel. I had so much fun writing this fic, I hope you had half as much fun as I did, then we both had a great time. Thank you so much for taking time to read this and leave feedback, it's been a great ride! Also Madame Bovary belongs to the wonderful Gustave Flaubert. _

_Epilogue-Many years later  
  
_"And here we have Hannah Bella-Marie Evans who is nominated for Best Actress..." The announcer pounced on them as they walked down the red carpet.

"Good Evening, Miss Evans, how does it feel to be nominated again?" She asked.

Hannah held tight to Ben's hand as they were questioned. She knew her parents were watching the show right now. Along with her little brothers.

"It feels wonderful." She had been nominated two times previously. She had won one for the first film she had done when she had been just sixteen. Then when she was a little older. Now her third film nomination she had portrayed Emma Bovary, in _Madame Bovary, _critics say she for sure had the Oscar for that one.

"There are rumors that if you do win this Oscar you'll marry Mr. Barclay here."

They both blushed heavily.

"Well?"

"We would prefer not to answer that one." Hannah spoke truthfully.

"How long have you two been together?"

"Since I was a freshman in high school." Hannah answered.

"And you're not married?"

Hannah shook her head.

"Well, how did it feel to play someone such as Madame Bovary?"

"Wicked." Hannah answered with a giggle. "It was a lot of fun. The costumes were phenomenal and I just really enjoyed working in France again."

"I'm glad." The announcer said. "And I wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you." They turned to enter the auditorium.

"And the winner for Best Actress..." Julia Roberts announced.

"Hannah Bella-Marie Evans, in _Madame Bovary."_ The crowd sent up a cheer and the music started. Hannah was shocked.

Hannah made her way onstage after kissing Ben and smiled at the audience.

She looked radiant, Max thought as he and his family watched his firstborn on the television.

She accepted the trophy which was heavier than she anticipated. The dress she wore was gorgeous and had been made just for her. If you looked really closely you could see the tiny scar on her chest from her many open heart surgeries.

"Wow," she said into the microphone. "This is really an honor. I've wanted this since I was five years old playing a Christmas elf in a play put on by the sixth grade class." The crowd chuckled. "I have a few people I'd like to thank." She said.

"I'd like to thank the directors and especially Anita Davis for overhearing an argument with my mother in a shopping mall. If it wasn't for you none of this would be happening." She looked directly at her parents now. "Finally, I'd like to thank Mom and Daddy." She said with meaning. "Without them, it truly wouldn't be happening, from Mom saying yes to be that Christmas elf because I was technically too young to play her. Also to my parents for giving me the chance and relocating the family to Paris for the summer of my first film. Holden, Caleb, Kailyn, you mean everything to me. Thank you so much. Everyone." With a wink at her family through the screen and a kiss blown to Ben she exited the stage.

Max watched his baby girl and wife set the final veil on her head. "You look beautiful, my darling." Liz told her quietly.

"Thanks, Mama." Hannah hugged her mother and tried not to cry again.

"You ready, sweetheart?" Max asked from the doorway and had to choke back tears.

"Hi, Daddy, so what do you think?" Hannah turned for him to study the dress.

"It's gorgeous." Max told her. And she was. She was the spitting image of her mother at twenty eight. "But not nearly as gorgeous as the girl wearing it."

"I'm hardly a little girl anymore, I'm getting married now, and I think I'm more of a woman now." Hannah laughed so she wouldn't cry. She was a famous movie star, men wanted to date her, women wanted to be her.

"You're my little girl." Max hugged her. "You'll always be my little girl. You are so beautiful. Ben better treat you right if he knows what's good for him." Max told her.

"He will, Daddy, he waited for me." Hannah assured him. He had wanted to marry her earlier but she had wanted to establish her career before settling down. He had endured countless movie premieres, parties, and months of her absence while she did just that.

"I know." He told her. Surprisingly they had been able to pull off this wedding without too much press. They had allowed one official photographer and that was it. "Let's go, princess."

"Thank you, Daddy, for everything." Hannah said once more before joining her life with another man.

Kailyn watched her sister dancing happily with her new husband. At twenty four she had a Ph.D, and a second major. Because she couldn't read, write, and generally learn for so long she had put her all into it after Liz had taught her the essentials of reading. She hadn't had much of a social life because of it and had decided now was the time to start. She had caught the bouquet and took that as a sign.

She was pretty enough, she knew, she wasn't stunning like her sister or mother, but she had a quiet beauty. She stood and let the soft material of her bride's maid dress swish against her legs.

"I thought all the Evans women were small." Someone said from behind her.

She whirled around not hearing anybody join her outside.

"I'm the exception." She said, and nervously tucked her hair behind her ear.

He was tall and was leaning against the doorframe. His fair hair fell into his eyes and Kailyn had the urge to brush it aside.

"You'd be Dr. Kailyn Evans then?" He asked.

She nodded. "You would be Mr..." She crossed her arms over her chest. After sixteen years of living with the Evans, she still had a natural fear of men. It wasn't as bad as it had been when she was eight, but she was still nervous around them. She glanced around to see if anyone was out there.

"That'd be Dr. Ethan McGowan." He smiled at her.

"Oh, pardon me." She said. "I didn't know."

"Not very people do." He stood and walked towards her. Slowly, he thought to himself, she frightened easily.

"What are you a Doctor of?" She asked curiously.

"Psychology." He answered. "And history and sociology." He didn't mention the other majors he had. "All before I turned twenty six." He smiled.

That caught her attention. He was so handsome surely he had better things to do sit in a dorm room and study.

"Actually, I enjoyed being shut up in my dorm room. It was my favorite Saturday night activity."

"How'd you..." She asked amazed.

"Psychology." He said. "How about you?"

"Microbiology, hardly anywhere as interesting. But I have a major in history." She admitted.

"Quite interesting, actually." And she was so pretty, and tall, he needed a tall woman. "How tall are you?" He asked.

"Five eight." She said looking at him. It felt wonderful to have to look way, way up at him. "You?"

"Six three." He looked down at her. "You were adopted, right?"

"Yeah. When I was nine." She nodded; it used to make her feel funny to talk about it, now she didn't care.

"Will your father come shoot me if I were to kiss you?" He asked.

"Yeah, he flipped when Hannah went to homecoming with Ben. Took Mom forever to talk sense into him. He'd enlist Holden's help as well to make it look like an accident."

"He's eighteen."

"He doesn't care, he'll probably get Caleb to help too."

"He's sixteen."

"They're built." She laughs. "It's a competition to see who can be the most built. I think Holden has the advantage right now, he's on the school football team."

"Interesting past time." He smiled. "I never really was into that stuff in high school. Can I kiss you?" He took a step closer to her.

She didn't answer. She had been kissed over the years but none of them had really done anything for her, except make her uncomfortable. He stepped closer and claimed her mouth. Sinking into it she wrapped her arms around his neck for anchoring. He sure didn't feel like he didn't spend his time body building.

He stepped back but she was still closely wrapped around him. "So, do you know my sister or her husband?" It had never occurred to her how he was here.

"I work with Ben." He smiled.

Kailyn sat down on a bench watching her sister laughing at something Ben whispered in her ear. Alex came and danced with her before Kyle came and asked for her hand. Alex expertly turned her away and Kyle wasn't happy. They set into one of their age old arguments over who got to hold Hannah. Ben came and settled it by whisking his bride off.

There were reporters outside the gates trying to get in on all the details. She stared at them before turning around to watch her sister.

"Have you always been in Hannah's shadow?" He asked.

"Not really her shadow, I just chose to stay out of the spotlight and Hannah respects that. She mentions the family now and again, but we keep out of the spotlight. We get a lot of publicity from Daddy, but usually Hannah keeps us low." She didn't want the public life.

"You caught the bouquet, I noticed." He said.

"Yeah." She nodded. It was at her seat.

"What do you say we put it to use next month?" He asked her.

"What? I don't even know you!" She said to him.

"Well, you'll get to know me, you'll love me, and then we'll get married and have little doctor babies."

She looked at him. "How do you know we'll get married and have little...doctor...babies?" Her cheeks flamed.

"Because we move quicker than normal, you're twenty four and have a Ph.D, I'm thirty and have three, I think we're not the kind of people to move slowly."

"You're right."

"And I love you."  
  
"You don't know me!"

"Well I'll get to know you and you'll love me as much as I already love you."

"Alright." She had never been one to make decisions so quickly but she felt completely right as she slipped her hand into his. It was the first male hand she had held since Max when she was a little girl. Hand holding involved a sense of trust she didn't give to any man.

Kailyn tried to keep her hand still but she had to test it. She pulled her hand from his and it slipped out easily, he didn't restrain her. He did give her a hurt look though. She smiled and took his hand and squeezed gently. He returned it and Kailyn smiled up at him. "Now, I think Daddy might shoot you. Both his daughters in one year."

"Maybe we'll just have to run away, because I'm not going to lose you." He looked at her with a half smile.

"I don't want to lose you either." She agreed and gave him another small smile. She squeezed his hand again and turned to go back inside.

iOne month later/i

"We didn't just see that, Liz, tell me we didn't." Max said looking at his youngest daughter.

"You did, Max." She smiled.

"She's holding his hand." Max noticed.

"I know." She looked up at her husband. "She's grown up so much, Max, thank you for fighting so hard for her, our baby."

"I would have done it for any of our kids, Liz. She was ours the moment, you opened that door twenty four years ago and I saw you standing there with her in your arms."

"Oh, Max..." Liz studied her husband. "You make me so happy."

"I try." He tried to shrug it off. "I owe you."

"Not anymore, Max, that was so long ago, I don't even think Hannah remembers it." Liz said. "I don't remember much of it either. We may have lived a different kind of life those first few years, but we got back on track."

iSix years later/i

"Kailyn, how are you doing?" Hannah poked her head in the door.

"I'm a little tired, to be honest." Kailyn said.

"I bet." Hannah walked in. "Ethan's having a ball bragging about his daughter to everybody. Daddy's ecstatic about having a granddaughter." She sat on the edge of her sister's bed.

"I tried." Kailyn blushed. "How's Aaron?"

"Good, he wants to come in and see his Auntie Kay though. He was so excited when we told him we were coming down here to see you guys."

Hannah and her family moved further north where Hannah was close to work and her family. Kailyn had chosen to stay close to home and raise her children.

"Why don't you let him come in?"

"I wanted to see you first, she's so beautiful, Kailyn, it'll be hard with four little geniuses running around."

"Thank you, Ethan is very proud of our 'doctor babies' as he calls them." Kailyn laughed. She lay back against the hospital bed and settled Ashley more comfortably to her.

Kailyn held her daughter tight in her arms and looked at her, knowing she wouldn't have the same awful childhood home she had grown up into prior to the Evans.

"You're getting that look in your eyes, Kailyn, don't think about it." Hannah said.

"I know. Thank you for sharing Mom and Dad with me, Hannah." Kailyn looked honestly. "I've seen what a close knit unit a family can be and you just let me in. Thank you."  
  
Hannah was stunned into silence, it had never occurred to her to do otherwise.

"You didn't even realize you did it." Kailyn said. "I just wanted to say thank you."

"That actually leads into my next thing, actually." Hannah answered.

"Ben, come on." Hannah called towards the door.

Aaron walked in and saw his aunt. "Hi, Auntie Kay."

"How are you, my darling?"

"Good, look at my sisters." He said proudly. He ran next to his father.

Two little identical blonde heads popped in the door and Kailyn's brows creased.

They looked around the room and their faces brightened when they landed on Hannah.

"Hi!" They greeted as they ran to her.

"These, are our daughters." Hannah picked up one of the bright eyed little girls. "We're going to adopt them. They're such sweet girls, Kailyn, we love them so much already. Since Ben came from a larger family, he would have liked one of his own, but that's impossible. We discussed it right after Aaron was born."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Kailyn asked.

"We wanted to wait. We've been visiting them for a few months, but we didn't want to tell the family until we were sure they were ours."

Hannah and Ben had been given the go ahead to attempt for kids; Hannah's heart condition would not be an issue. The first trimester had gone beautifully. Then, late in the second trimester there were complications. After a short, grueling seven and a half month pregnancy, Aaron Benedict Barclay had been born weighing just under three pounds. Luckily he didn't suffer from any long term effects and was flourishing under his parents' care. There would be no more children for Hannah and Ben, but Aaron's childhood would not be lonely with so many cousins. Now it looked like there would be more siblings.

As if Kailyn's final thoughts were brought up her mom and dad walked in followed by her young brothers.

Max smiled happily at his family and pulled Liz aside.

"Are you happy, love?" Max asked. "No regrets?"

"Completely happy, Max. No regrets." She laid her head on his chest and watched her family

Content Hannah squeezed Kailyn's hands as all three little girls were welcomed to their family.

The End


End file.
